Taking Possession

 

“… we are condemned sinners; we need repentance, and we need mercy …” – Matthew Henry

 

Read:  Deuteronomy 1 and Mark 12:28-44

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  Mark 12:30

 

O:  Deuteronomy repeats much of the history and of the laws contained in the three previous books and we see that as the book opens up in chapter 1 with a recounting of other things we have read so far this year.  Moses points out how advantageous obedience is and that disobedience causes us to wander and it takes longer to get where God wants us to get; and continued disobedience may result in forfeiting the blessings He has for us.  We learn it is better then to go forward; onward and upward to the blessings He has for us!

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew Henry points out that all true obedience springs from faith whereas disobedience comes from a place of distrust of God’s power and goodness.  Too often we focus on disobedience and the consequences.  I have been guilty of this in my own parenting.  I’m not saying that God never tells us the consequences of disobedience because He does, but when God asks us to obey it is coming from a place of total goodness with our very best in mind.  God is perfect in all of His ways.  As a human parent, I’m not, and sometimes my request for obedience is not because of the best interest of the child, but for the sake of my own sanity and for my benefit.  We cannot compare God’s “parenting” to ours.  He asks us to obey because it is what is best for us.  This is our model and perfect example that we can follow as parents as well.

 

“Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, [will allow us] to take firm hold upon the promised blessings.” – Matthew Henry

 

A:  Today I want to think about God’s goodness and where obedience can take me as I surrender everything to Him knowing in fact that He is a good, good God and has only my best in mind.

 

 

 

 

P:  Heavenly Father, Thank You that You are a good, good Father, perfect in all of Your ways!  Thank You for being an example to me of a loving parent who keeps the best interest of the child in mind.  I know I am human and will make mistakes as I parent and continue to learn how to parent, but I pray You would teach me the best ways – Your ways.  I also pray today that as Your child I would grow more and more in my faith and trust You more and more as I learn to follow and trust and love You wholeheartedly.  Through Christ I pray, Amen & Amen.

 

Discussion and Reflection:  Spend some time right now reflecting about your life just like Moses reflected in Duet. 1.  Write down some highlights of your life story or recent events in your life.  Recount God’s goodness.  Ask yourself have I been wandering spiritually because I haven’t fully surrendered to His leadership or am I in the Promised Land taking possession and experiencing His blessings?   Are you loving Him with everything that you are?  Is there any pretense in your walk (see Mark 12:38-40) that you want to get rid of?  The enemy of our soul wants us to hide behind facades; and to pretend everything is okay.  Are you giving out your abundance and holding some of yourself back or are you giving all you have to Jesus in complete surrender?  Let’s make sure we are set on course for His blessings.  Sit for a moment and pray about these things that He has shown you today.

He can relate to me

A little prelude:  In my class at DBU I am limited to a two page paper, maybe somebody ought to limit my posts! Today I am more or less "thinking a loud". As I began to read Mark 11 this morning I began to put myself in the passage (ever do that?) and I put some of what I may have felt into the passage (I hope that is okay?), but in the end it allowed me to see the human side of Jesus that makes Him totally relatable to us. So I hope it's not too lengthy and I hope that the thoughts in my head have been made clear in the words on the page today.  I pray everyone has a blessed day and a wonderful weekend. 

Read:  Num. 35:33-34 and Mark 11

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  ^“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard him say it.”  Mark 11:12-14

 

O:  One thing I noticed from the passage today is the humanness of Jesus.  We say Jesus was fully God and fully human at the same time, and I believe that is one of the mysteries of Who He was.  How He could be fully both at the same time.  I suppose I like to focus more on Christ’s diety than I do His humanness for some reason, but today it was His humanity that jumped out at me.

 

Hebrews 4:15 says this, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.”

 

I wanted to mention the verse in Hebrews first because it specifically states that Jesus did not sin, even in His humanness.  As we look at the ways Mark 11 shows Jesus as human (like us) keep in mind that He did not sin:

 

1.       He got hungry (verse 12)

2.     He experienced emotions (verses 11-17)

3.     He got upset and angry (verses 14-17)

Jesus was human.  He needed to eat sometimes.  The Bible doesn’t share a lot about Jesus’ diet.  We know at one time walking through a field His disciples grabbed a stalk of grain and rubbed it between their fingers/palms and ate the grain; perhaps Jesus did too.  Jesus was condemned for eating with sinners.  Jesus cooked fish early one morning for the disciples.  Jesus in his humanity ate and got hungry just like we do.

 

I find it interesting that the verse says it was not the season for figs.  The implication here is that Jesus was really, really hungry because look at what He does – He curses the fig tree for not producing figs (even though it wasn’t the season for figs).  In my NT Survey class we studied this passage and the theological way of looking at this passage is that it was a foreshadowing of Israel and what was going to take place there after the crucifixion of Jesus. 

 

I don’t doubt this was true, but I also know in my humanness two things and I guess I kind of put my own feelings if you will into this story.  Jesus was about to be crucified.  You might say this was creating a lot of human emotions in Jesus.  If we focus just on the diety of Jesus we might miss this.  We know in the Garden just before His crucifixion He was praying so hard over what was about to take place that He began to sweat drops of blood.  This was no easy task for Jesus.  He was under a lot of, you might say, stress and emotions.  He was fighting His own will vs. the will of the Father, but the will of the Father won out – “not my will, but THINE be done”.

 

I don’t know about you, but when I’m under a lot of stress I find myself reacting in unexpected ways.  I’m not saying Jesus did that.  We are not told that in this passage, but why curse a fig tree for not bearing fruit when it wasn’t it’s time to bear fruit?  Jesus was hungry, He was experiencing, no doubt, some high emotions, perhaps in our language, feeling some “stress”.  Did He curse the fig tree out of what He was feeling or was it simply as my NT Survey class pointed out a foreshadowing event?

 

We don’t know the timing, but it appears Jesus went from the fig tree to the temple, still hungry.  He sees the money changers and is bothered by what is taking place in the temple.  Again Jesus is upset.  We see him reacting with anger at the situation, at the injustices being done there.  These money changers were price gouging the people who were coming to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  Jesus was upset at what He saw.  He could have done anything He wanted to the people, but instead He simply overturned the tables.  Again this is one of those scenes you don’t hear a lot of church sermons on.

 

A:   I think it is refreshing to me to know that Jesus was human too.  He got hungry, He got upset, He experienced emotions.  In our Christian walk we might be tempted to minimize our feelings and emotions and our humanness, but these are part of who we are.  We get hungry.  We feel emotions and sometimes we get upset.  Jesus, we are told, did not sin in any point when He was tempted, as we are, but He did feel, like we feel.  We can take anything we are dealing with to Him and He will understand.  We can also allow ourselves to be human and feel too.  It is our responses and how we react though in those times that we must be careful about.

 

When it’s 5 or 6 o’clock at night and everyone has had a long day and kids are hungry, and mom is tired, emotions can rise high.  We can become short with each other.

 

This is just one example where I see this played out.  But we never see Jesus taking out His feelings on people.  He took it out on a tree and some tables.  Now I’m not suggesting we all go outside and curse the trees around our house or start overturning the tables in our kitchens, but the point is Jesus didn’t turn to his disciples and start yelling at them.  He didn’t go into the temple punching the money changers.

 

He never allowed His human emotions to hurt those around Him.  In my Christian Doctrine class right now we are talking about the Doctrine of Humanity which is a fancy way of saying “what the Bible says about how we were created and what our purpose is here”.  One verse we are talking about is James 3:10, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” And if you go back to verse 9 talking about the tongue it says, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God …”

 

The point being that every person you see has been made in the image of God and everyone deserves our respect and blessing.  Jesus didn’t curse the money changers, He overturned their tables, He called out the unjust way they were treating their fellow man and treating the house of God – the temple.

 

So with all of that (a lot of this is my thinking out loud through the passage today) I guess I am glad to see that Jesus can relate to me (not that I didn’t know that before, but it is refreshing to me to see it this morning).  Jesus got hungry and experienced emotions just like me.  In His divinity He was still human and He knows what I experience when I am under times of stress or just even when I’m simply hungry.  How does that make you feel to know that He knows and experienced what we feel?  (Comment below)

 

P:  Our Father in Heaven, Thank You for sending Your son not only to die for our sins, but to live out His life on earth and to experience things that we would experience so He could be relate to us and we could relate to Him.  While He was fully God we also know He was fully man.  This is a refreshing mystery to me to know I’m not alone in the things I experience or feel.  It is through Christ, our brother, I pray.  Amen & Amen.

Wholeheartedness

 

Read:  Numbers 32 and Mark 10:13-31

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “… not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly’ … Then Moses said to them, “… arm yourselves before the Lord for battle … every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord …”  Numbers 32:12, 20, 27

 

“ … crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.  The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”  Mark 10:1b, 26-28

O:  In these two passages we see the idea of wholeheartedness – wholeheartedly following the Lord.  We must be wholehearted in battle to “clear the land of your enemy(s)”, wholehearted in following after Jesus, and wholehearted in teaching and bringing others the good news of salvation.

 

Just as Jesus called the rich man to leave the thing(s) that mattered most to him, Jesus calls us today to leave those things which hinder us from reaching His kingdom and “hundred times” as great of things in this present age (verse 30).  No matter what we “give up” for Jesus, He ALWAYS has something better (see verses 29-31).  He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (see Ephesians 3:20).  It doesn’t mean there won’t be a battle (Numbers 32).  It doesn’t mean there won’t be persecution (verse 30).  But it does mean IT WILL BE WORTH IT!

 

A:  If there is anything you are holding back from Jesus today I pray that you will become wholehearted.  Leave IT ALL!  If you never put down those things you are clinging so tightly to, then how can your hands be open to receive what He wants you to have? 

 

P:  Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name!  You are a good, good Father!  That is Who You are!  When I think of the people entering the land and how You fought for them and with them to give them the Promised Land, Lord, I think of how sometimes there are things we have to fight for here too.  But for most of us today this isn’t a battle won with physical swords, but these are spiritual battles we face – battles won by getting down on our knees in prayer and as we read and studied yesterday even fasting and prayer.  These are battles won by staying in the Word of God – this becomes our sword that we use to bring our thoughts captive to You so that we can win against those things that hold our minds captive from wholeheartedly serving You.  Father You have so many good plans for us!  Help us to be overcomers so we can be wholeheartedly Yours and so that we can bring others into Your glorious kingdom.  In Jesus’ Mighty, Precious and Saving Name I pray – Yeshua HaMashiach.  Amen & Amen.

If HE wholeheartedly gave everything for us, why wouldn't we wholeheartedly live for Him?

 

 

What will you bring?

Read:  Numbers 30 and Mark 9:14-17 (context is 14-29)

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “Teacher, I brought you my son …”  Mark 9:17 a

 

O:  In order to get the whole context of the verses it is best to read through verse 29.  In this passage in Mark just before this scene of the father and his son Jesus had just come from the Mount of Transfiguration.  It might be what we call today a “mountain top experience”.  So Peter, James and John and Jesus come and meet up with the other disciples and there is a lot of arguing going on.  If you simply read the verses in the plan Jesus asks, “What is all the arguing about?”  And the man replies, “I brought you my son who is possessed by a spirit …” 

 

We could leave off there and conclude with a simple application that we need to bring our problems to Jesus.  That in itself might be a very good application, and for me today is really a good and timely word because there is something I’m struggling with personally that I do need to bring to Him, but my curiosity couldn’t leave the story there so I read on further.

 

The other disciples had tried to drive out the spirit (verse 28), but couldn’t.  They asked Jesus later, “Why?”  Jesus replied to them with a verse that you may be familiar with, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”  I’m not sure what “this kind” refers to.  Is it only this kind of spirit?  Or is Jesus referring to “this kind” being things that are more difficult in general?  Have you personally ever had or dealt with something SO difficult that only prayer and fasting brought you the answer or the healing you were seeking?

 

The other familiar part of this passage is verse 24.  The father said to Jesus, “I believe!  But help me with my unbelief.”  Sometimes what we think we totally believe in, we find we still have a part of us that doesn’t believe.  I have a friend who is trying to make a life-changing decision.  One moment she feels secure in her decision to move forward and at other times she doubts that choice.  She is like this father.  I believe, but help me in my unbelief. 

 

Let’s break it down:

 

I believe – pisteuō - to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in, to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith, to entrust or be intrusted with something

 

1.       Help me – boētheō - to help, succour, bring aid; it is interesting that this word is used twice in this passage, once in verse 22 where the father is talking to Jesus about all this spirit has inflicted on the son and he asks Jesus to please have compassion on them and to please help them and then again here to help his unbelief.  The point is this man needed both physical AND spiritual help.  Help heal my son and help me to believe (again).  I would imagine after years of dealing with this spirit and seeing his son thrown into fire and seeing his son thrown into water and possibly nearly drowning and seeing his son nearly destroyed they had probably lost a lot of their belief – their confidence and hope in ever seeing him healed and made right.  Jesus asked “how long has he been this way?” and the father said, “since he was a child” or “from childhood”.  He probably was not born that way, but at some point in this boy’s childhood a spirit entered him and he would often convulse and foam at the mouth and he experienced a range of things that no parent would ever want to deal with.  This father had lost his “belief”.  Jesus was his last hope, his last option.  The disciples couldn’t help him; the rulers or Pharisees or the “church leaders” couldn’t help him.  Here they stood at the mercy of Jesus.  “Help me please!” the father cried out (verse 24).  This is the word we saw the other day “krazo” meaning to cry or pray for vengeance.  It also means to “vociferate” which means to “shout, complain, or argue loudly or vehemently”.  This was no quiet plea, this was a LOUD desperate cry with literal tears!  HELP ME PLEASE!  Have you ever cried out to Jesus like this?  This is the plea of a desperate parent for their child!  This father didn’t want his own unbelief to hold back the healing of his son.  He was ready to lay it all down and surrender every part of his unbelieving heart to Jesus.  Perhaps this father was ready to stop trying to take care it on his own; to stop seeking people who couldn’t help him and go to the only one who could help him.

 

In my unbelief – apistia - weakness of faith, unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, unbelief.  Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says it is “withholding belief in the divine power” or “little faith”.  I think this father hoped Jesus could heal his son, but doubted whether it was possible.  Perhaps the father knew Jesus could, but doubted He would.  Either way there was a certain lack of faith.  This man had lost hope.  Have you ever dealt with something for so long that you didn’t know if it was even possible anymore to find healing or help?  That is where the enemy wants to keep us – doubting, fearful, with little faith.

 

A:  What is it today you want to bring to Jesus?  This father brought his son.  Do you have a child you need to bring to Jesus for physical or mental or emotional healing?  Do you know of friends or family who are suffering hurt or harm because of either choices they are making, have made or even things out of their own control or past history – things that have been done to them?  Are you making decisions or choices and you just need His peace?  Are you needing healing in your life from illness or addictions and you have dealt with this thing for so long that you have lost hope in ever having a “normal” life?  Whatever it is I implore you to bring it to Jesus.  Cry out desperately to Him for the answer.  If you have lost hope or if your faith is too little then ask Him, plead with Him (loudly even) for Him to cure you of that weakness of faith.

 

Lastly, prayer and fasting may also be something the LORD uses for the situation(s) you are facing.  Some reading this today have never fasted.  Unfortunately in churches today it is not really a thing we talk about, but the Bible has plenty to say on that subject.  There are many different ways to fast and different lengths of time people choose to fast.  If you are not seeing results in your situation maybe it is “the kind” that requires you to fast and pray.  I heard a Bible teacher once talk about fasting and they said that there are three kinds of people, 1) people who would never fast, 2) people who might fast for themselves and their own situations and 3) people who fast for other people and their situations.  We want to be the kind of people that fall into category #3!  People ready to fast and pray for our loved ones and our friends.  If you know of someone today who is having a “this kind” of situation then consider not only praying for them, but dedicating 1, 2, 3 or more days to fasting for them.  Fast all day, fast from one meal, dedicate one day a week to fasting just for them and their situation until you see results.  Another friend of mine who I have known to be an avid faster told me once that she believed fasting “unlocked” things in the heavenlies.  She said she didn’t understand it, but believed it did things we couldn’t possibly understand.  I believe she is correct.  I have seen hearts changed and “things unlocked” when I have fasted.

 

I don’t have all the answers, but if you want to know more about fasting please let me know.

 

P:  Our Father in Heaven,  Thank You that we can bring EVERYTHING to you in prayer!  Father sometimes we deal with things for so long and we lose hope that we will ever find the answer(s) we are seeking.  God, there are people we love that are suffering from hard things, even mental illnesses, that are causing them great pain.  Father I pray that we would be the kind of people that can fast and pray not only for ourselves and the answers we seek, but also for the needs of others.  Lastly, Father, I pray that if there is any doubt in us, any shortage of faith, that You would supply that faith and help us as you helped this father and his son.  Thank you that You are Jehovah Rapha – Our Healer!  It is through Christ we pray, Amen & Amen.

Just a Rebel, Saved by Grace

 

“[Here] we are reminded "that the law was given by Moses," who by reason of our transgression could not bring us to heaven; but "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," for the salvation of everyone who believes.” – Matthew Henry

 

Read:  Numbers 27:12-23

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

 

O: From the Pulpit Commentary:  “Moses had already been told that he should not enter the promised land (Numbers 20:12), yet he is allowed the consolation of seeing it with his eyes before his death. It would seem from Deuteronomy 3:25-27 that this favour was accorded him in answer to his prayer.”  Why was Moses not allowed to go in to the land?  Verse 14 gives us the answer:  “For ye rebelled against my commandment.”  Moses “marah peh” – He rebelled or was contentious and disobedient or bitter towards “peh”, meaning mouth.  Basically God spoke and Moshe disobeyed the mouth or the word of the LORD.  Which interestingly enough if you look back at Numbers 20:10 where the original rebellion took place it says that Moses called the people there “rebels” (Look here you “marah” – you rebels” Moses said in Numbers 20:10) using the same word that God used here when talking to Moses.  Immediately after that in verse 24 God lays out the consequence of that action.  And in our passage today God reaffirms that consequence, but with grace by listening to and appointing a successor at Moses’ request. 

 

Interesting side note:  If you know Hebrew a little bit you might be inclined to think the bitter waters at Marah referred to in Exodus 15:23 is the same, but it is actually in the Strong’s Concordance different.  In Exodus the word used there is a proper name Marah: a bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula, original word: מָרָה, whereas in our passage today in Numbers the word used there is the verb marah: to be contentious or rebellious, original word: מָרָה.  Both have similar meanings of bitterness, but they are in fact different, and are just one number difference in the Strong’s (4784 & 4785).

 

It is interesting to note however that at Marah in Exodus that it was the wood cast into the waters that sweetened the waters which many believe to be a foreshadowing of the cross of Christ and it was through the cross of Jesus Christ that even “rebels” might be saved. 

 

In the next verse in verse 15 the Pulpit Commentary says this:  “For himself [Moses] not even a word of complaint at his punishment, which must have seemed, thus close at hand, more inexplicably severe than ever; all his thoughts and his prayers for the people - that one might take his place, and reap for himself and Israel the reward of all his toil and patience.”  This goes back to what we discussed a few days ago about the heart of a true intercessor.  Moses’ heart was for the people up until the bitter end (excuse the bitter pun).  His heart truly was a heart after God’s own heart, even though that description is really left for King David.  Even on his deathbed Moses was more concerned for the people than himself – that my friends is a heart of an intercessor!

 

Moses wanted someone who would, “them out, and bring them in.” (verse 17)  “The underlying image is that of a shepherd and his flock, which suggests itself so naturally to all that have the care and governance of men.” (Pulpit Commentary)  So that they would not be a sheep without a shepherd, the verse goes on to say.  This again shows Moses’ heart.  This was the heart of Jesus in our passage yesterday in Mark 6.  Both Moses and Jesus were moved with a heart of compassion towards the people who needed a shepherd.  Certainly Moses, after spending 40 years tending sheep, understood this concept and what would happen to the people if no one was appointed after him.

 

So here we see Joshua being appointed successor.  Joshua of course was being prepared for this role for many years prior as he spent a lot of time ministering to Moses that we can read about in several places throughout Scripture.  The only other choice would have been Caleb in regards to the integrity and bringing back a good report along with Joshua, but Joshua was still the first pick.

 

Lastly, some might ask – since Moses didn’t get to the Promised Land, will he be in heaven?  I believe the answer is yes.  Look at Matthew (17:2).  Here it states that Jesus "was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light." At that point the prophets Elijah and Moses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them.

 

Moses lost the privilege of leading the people into the Promised Land and it was a pretty stern consequence for his actions, but his action did not take away his eternal salvation.  The point being that Moses was a sinner saved by grace just like you and I.  Do we make mistakes?  Yes!  Do we suffer consequences and lose blessings this side of heaven?  YES!  But, by grace we are saved by Faith, not by our actions!  Halleluyah!

 

A:  For me the application is this - I too was/am a rebel – a sinner.  I get mad and upset.  But I am so thankful that God has saved me by His GRACE!  He has sweetened my proverbial “bitter waters” through His cross and I am not what I used to be!!!!!  And He is still working on me J  I am so thankful!

 

P:  Father in Heaven, thank You so very much that You reached down to us through You Son, Jesus Christ, and through His death and resurrection to sweeten our bitter waters!  Father, without You we are nothing!  We have no hope of salvation or being changed and transformed, but because of the cross of Christ the victory over sin and death was accomplished and we get to take part in that victory if we will but take our old rebellious natures and submit them to Your Authority.  Does it make us perfect, no!  Will we still make mistakes, even in our “old age” as Moses did?  Yes, unfortunately!  But the flip side of that is that we can still come to You and seek Your forgiveness.  It doesn’t mean all the consequences go away, and that we don’t lose out on the blessings You desire for us, but there is still a hope of eternity.  God I pray we would not rebel against you, God that we would make You large in the eyes of those who are watching and following us – to lift You up and magnify You, but God should we fall and make mistakes, I pray for grace to abound!  I know we all fall short of Your glory, Father, but I thank You that You loved us so much that You sent Your Son to die for us and to save us.  It is through His Name we pray all these things, Amen & Amen.

Pressing In

 

“Our fears are soon satisfied, if our mistakes are set right, especially our mistakes as to Christ. Let the disciples have their Master with them, and all is well.” – Matthew Henry

 

Read:  Mark 6

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

 

S:  And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.  Mark 6:56

 

O:  In the beginning of the chapter it said the people had unbelief.  Why?  Commentator Chuck Smith points out two reasons, 1) They were very mistaken when they thought they knew Him. They only possessed a head knowledge of Him and 2) There was much about Him they did not know. Their unbelief was based upon insufficient knowledge of Him.  But more importantly to note is the result of their unbelief – He could not do any works there.  Chuck Smith points out these two facts, 1) The reluctance or unwillingness was not on His part and 2) Your unbelief can keep you from coming to Him, and thus miss all of the blessings and benefits that He desires to bestow upon your life.

 

This is why studying daily is so important.  We do not want to miss out on seeking His face and knowing Him more and more.  Why?  Because as we reach out to touch Him as the last verse of the passage suggests He will make us whole.  Whole in a lot of ways, but I believe also whole in our understanding of Him.  He can remove any unbelief or wrong beliefs we have, if we are willing.  He will feed us both spiritually and physically and give us rest and meet our needs as verses 31-44 describe. 

 

The Master invites us to “Come away into a desert place, and rest a while” (verse 31).  And I love verse 34, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”  I love that Jesus was moved with compassion.  What moved Him?  He saw A LOT of people.  What was going on with them?  They were shepherdless.  They needed to be taught and so Jesus began to teach them many things.  Again they had insufficient knowledge.

 

I will say being in school and studying the subjects I have been studying I can relate to this!!  I thought I knew a fair amount about Jesus and the Bible before attending classes, but I quickly found out how much I didn’t know!  Perhaps Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw me and is now beginning to teach me many things! J

 

Where was Jesus prior to “coming out” to the desert?  He had been in the mountains praying.  Just before this scene we read about John the Baptist and what happened to him.  This was Jesus’ cousin and no doubt the news disturbed Him.  He went away by Himself to seek the Father and to no doubt be comforted in this time of loss.

 

The other gospels tell us during this time that Passover was near.  Many people were flocking to Jerusalem.  Jesus however had to stay away from Jerusalem at this time because there were a lot of people that wanted to kill him as well and it was not time for Him to lay down His life yet.  Passover was another reason there were so many people around when Jesus came to the desert especially men because it was only required of the men to come up to Jerusalem for the feast, but no doubt there were women and children there also, but perhaps not as many as the men which is why the feeding of the crowds focused on numbering the men.

 

A:  You could apply this passage in a lot of ways, but for me I have found that seeking Jesus and knowing Him is a life long journey I think.  We must constantly press in to know more, but not to have a head full of knowledge only, but to experience Him; to be called away to times of rest and times of teaching and times of being filled.  Where do you find yourself today?  Are you pressing in?  Do you need rest?  Do you need healing?  Where are you today?

 

P:  Father in Heaven, I pray LORD to reach out and touch You today.  So often we pray for a touch from You and certainly there are times You reach out to us, but today I come seeking You – just to reach out that I might touch You if possible, even just the corner of Your garment, Your tzit-tzit.  It says in this passage that many came, but not all got to touch You, but as many as did they were healed.  I pray we would press in and be persistent enough for as long as it takes to get close enough to reach You.  It’s not that You are far away or even that You require some huge effort on our part because Your Word is clear that You give to us freely, but my prayer is that we would not walk away too soon that we miss out on all that You would have for us, but that we would stay and rest and be taught by You.  Through Christ I pray.  Amen & Amen.

 

 

 

 

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

 

 

Local friends:  I will be speaking further on this topic today at the Nazarene Church on Bagdad at 11:15 a.m. this morning 2/27/16.  All are welcome J