Matthew Chapter 19

In chapter 19, we find out that Jesus has left Galilee and is now in the region of Judea. Verse 2 says that great crowds of people were following Him and He was healing them. It is into this scene that the Pharisees come with a question intended to trick Jesus into giving a response that had no popular answer. In Verse 19:3 they ask Him "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?"
Jesus answers and says:
"Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning , made them male and female, and said for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (19:4-6)

 I wanted to quote the exact words of Jesus here because , in their day (as in ours) these words were completely ignored. In  verses 19:5-6,  Jesus is calling us to view our marriages as something that has to be preserved.  We need to view our marriages the same way that the Lord views them. Jesus endured the cross for His bride, the church. (Rev. 19:7). If things are hard, consider endurance, obedience and prayer.
At some point in our Christian life with Christ, endurance has to take over. Christ endured (read Heb. 12;1-3) In her book LOVE HAS A PRICE TAG, Elizabeth Elliot said "He Himself endured a cross and thought nothing of it's shame because of the joy. A very different story from the one which would have been written if Jesus had been prompted by the spirit of our own age;Don't Just endure it, think about it, talk about it,share it, express your gut level feelings, get in touch with yourself, find out who you are, define the problem, analyze it, get counseling, get the experts opinions, discuss solutions, work through it"   E.L. . Jesus endured,He prayed. He was also obedient to the call on His life. He was determined to please God and do what God was asking of Him. In John 4:34 Jesus says" My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. If you think that it was easier for Him to endure through His trials than it is for you read Isaiah 53 and Hebrews 5:7-8.

I am asking you here to consider your commitment to your marriage by putting it up against the word of God. God says that you are one flesh. Let no man separate.   
This was a very unpopular idea in Jesus's day, as it is in ours. In verse 19:7, the Pharisees counter Him by asking why Moses had set up the system for divorce that was in their very scriptures? (Duet. 24:1-4) Jesus tells them that Moses permitted it because of their hardness of heart, but from the beginning this was not God's way. In all fairness to the Pharisees, there were 2 teachers of the law who held and taught 2 different views on divorce at the time. Rabbi Hillel, taught that a man could divorce his wife if he ceased to love her or if he saw someone he liked better or if she burned his dinner. While Rabbi Schammai taught that he  could only divorce his wife for some  offense against chastity.
Jesus goes on to put the topper on it in verse 9 by saying that remarriage without sexual immorality, was considered adultery. This was as unpopular then as it is now. Look at the reaction from Jesus's disciples in verse 10.
In verse 10, they in essence say  "well if this is the way it is, maybe it's better not to get married". I find this  a shocking statement to  come from the disciples. But then I realize that they were a product of their culture, as are we. There will be Christians who will read this and not want to accept what the word of God has to say about divorce.
In verse 19:11-12 Jesus answers them kindly I think, considering their hearts and beliefs on the matter.
He goes on to address their thought that it might be better not to marry.
He says some are born unable to "marry", some have the choice taken from them by forceful men and some feel that they can serve God better without marrying. According to Eerdman's, at the end of verse 19:12, He is giving His blessing to the idea that  the disciples think that they might be able to better serve God without marrying. Of course the real intention of their comment about marriage doesn't get addressed. 

 Please don't look away from these verses without examining your own marriage and your own heart on this subject. Your marriage was meant by God to be an example of the eternal love that God has for us. In God's eyes, it is permanent. I pray everyday that God will give the couples at our church an eternal perspective in their marriages. I pray for obedient, enduring hearts. Our marriages should be a glory and a praise to Him. After all, we do have "the way, the truth and the life"(john 14:6)  in our marriages..

Verses 13 and 14 are interesting in that, it seems the disciples didn't learn anything from the last time that children were the focus of the moment.  Verse 13 says that the children were being brought to Him to be touched and prayed for and that the disciples forbid it. Obviously, Jesus wanted the children to come to Him. He says, don't keep them away, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Then the bible says that He lays His hands on them and then he departs (19:15) Interesting that it doesn't say He prayed for them. I have ideas on that. But, what do you think?

I want to finish by just making some observations on the end of the chapter.In verses 19:16-26, we have the story of Jesus's encounter with the rich young ruler. In Mark 10, we are told that he ran up to Jesus and knelt before and asks Him what he can do to go to heaven. The young man uses the word for "good" that was giving honor as unto God Himself. This is why Jesus asks Him why he used that word in his greeting. Jesus doesn't wait for the answer to that question but goes on to say that if he wishes for eternal life he must keep the commandments. Here is where we get the clue that this young man has missed the point! HE SAYS "WHICH ONE?" Notice that when Jesus speaks again He recites some of the common commandments but does not start with the first and most important commandments that deal with a man's relationship to God. I am the Lord Thy God. You shall have no other God's before me. You shall not worship any other God. (exodus 20:1-2). Jesus then gives him the  test. He tells Him to go and sell all His possessions and give the money to the poor. Of course the young man failed miserably because his one true love, his God, was his money.
Just something to think about. 


 This chapter is also full of well known passages. Even people who would say that they don't know anything about the bible,  will know some of these verses and the ideas conveyed here.  There is also the verses about Jesus saying that the apostles will sit on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel (19:28) We didn't discuss this but I know that I have been in conversations with other Christians where someone said "where is that verse?"So we will include it in our memory tool.

So as with Chapter 18, we will use 19 words to remember this chapter. Divorce,hard for a rich man to get to heaven,the apostles will judge  the 12 tribes of Israel.****19 words*** I know that this takes practice, but don't discount the help of the Holy Spirit in your learning. Pray and read, practice. Pray, read, practice and when you need to remember you will!!! Be faithful. Start reading chapter 20. 
Love
Nancy 
 

Matthew 18- part 2

We are back to Chapter 18 starting in verse 7. After reading a few different commentaries and praying over these passages, I have to disagree with some of the more common interpretations of this passage. If we look  at the text, there is no break in the actual context of the situation that the scripture is conveying. What I mean is, the child is still standing in the midst of Jesus and the disciples when Jesus speaks of sin as offenses. Some commentators say that Jesus wasn't directly addressing sin in regards to children. This is what I disagree with.

He has just pronounced a fitting end to a person who causes a little child to misunderstand God in verse 18:6. In 18:7,  He says "Woe, to the world because of it's offenses" He then goes on to say that it is inevitable that sin will come but "woe" to that man by whom the sin offenses should come. 

That word "woe" is a great expression of grief.  Sin causes the Lord great grief especially if the target of that sin is little children.

I saw a documentary on the National Geographic Channel where  they interviewed adults that had been children who grew up in families living within a religious cult. One of the most heart rending interviews was the interview with Brent Jeffs. His uncle Warren Jeffs ,was the leader of the FLDS church until he was placed in prison for his crimes against women and children.

In the interview, Brent Jeffs, explained his experience of being raped by his uncle starting at five years of age. The attacks continued for several years. He explained,  how his uncle would come and get him from Sunday school, walk him to a bathroom, rape him and return him to Sunday school where he said he would sit and shake, waiting for the pain to subside. He said, as he was being attacked, he would wonder what he had done that made God hate him so much. He had been taught about God. He was sure that God had forsaken him. That God had thrown him away and considered him trash. He said that that was how his five year old mind perceived what was Happening to him.

As he retold his story, this grown man wept like he was five again. He talked about how badly he wanted his mom to help him but he was afraid to tell anyone what was happening to him.

The point I want to make here is that I don't think that Jesus had changed subjects  when He goes on to talk about conquering sin. In verse 18:8 we have the beginning of the famous "if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off" verses. I think that most people are focused on the wrong thing when they read these verses. Jesus's point is not whether you loose a limb.  His point is, that we need to be  willing to do whatever it takes to rid ourselves of sin.  Unchallenged, sin can have devastating effects on others, especially little children.

No matter what psychologists say, if it is sin in the life of a believer, there is a way of escape. Every sin starts with the temptation to do wrong. 1st Corinthians 10:13 says: No Temptation has over taken you but such as is common to man and God is faithful, (and here is where this verse is terribly miss used and miss quoted) who will not allow you to BE TEMPTED beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape (from sin!!! and temptation!!! not the trials and sufferings of life!!!)that you may be able to endure it.

In verses 18:8-9 Jesus is saying, be willing, throw it out, cut it off, excise it from your life before it becomes your stronghold (Psalm 59:17)

I promise not to be so wordy with the rest of this.

Verse 18:10 is an incredible verse. I truly believe that this verse explains how our two adopted daughters came to be with us. Their angels, who are continually beholding the face of our God and Father, worked to have them sent to us. I know people who have trouble when trying to figure out this verse. I have no trouble. I am keenly aware that angels could possess the ability to behold the face of God AND keep a close watch on the children that they are assigned to. Our intellect is so far below the ability to understand what the spiritual world is really like. What about the verse that talks about the angels rejoicing over a sinner who repents? (Luke 15:10)(party in heaven?) Anyway, there will have to be more on angels another day.

The last thing I want to address is verses 18:21-35. Jesus is speaking of forgiveness and of course the verse that says forgive 70X7 is here. I noticed that in all the teaching that Jesus does here, He does not qualify the forgiveness. By this I mean that he doesn't say. "If the person is truly repentant" or "But if he continues to wrong you, you can cease to forgive."

I have had more than a handful of wives tell me that it is very difficult to forgive their husbands because they don't see any change. Their husbands continue to slip up in areas that really challenge their wives.  They ask questions like "well, if he was truly sorry wouldn't he change?" or "if he is sorry, why does he continue to struggle in this area?" I have to say that I sympathize with their dilemma, but the God of the universe did not say that we should examine motives or look for signs of true repentance from the one asking for forgiveness. He said Forgive.

There is a lot more in this chapter that could be discussed but I think we have enough to help us remember this chapter.

For Chapter 18, we will use. 18 WORDS,**** BECOME AS A CHILD, PLUCK OUT YOUR EYE, FORGIVE 70 times 7. WHERE 2 OR 3 ARE GATHERED-**** 18 WORDS.  

Remember, the goal is to remember where these well known, important topics appear in scripture.

By now I hope you have been able to see the value of remembering where important subjects appear in the word of God. It is a long process, the more I study and use the memory tools, the more I realize how little I know. But I also know that there is no hurry. I will be here to study and remember as long as my God wants me here and not a minute shorter than that.

 Remember to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you remembrance and an excitement for His word. This is not a cupcake and frosting bible study. I understand that there is a challenge to this work. The important thing to remember as you are working your way through this is that you will "always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you" (from 1st Peter 3:15).

Keep going ladies! I'm praying for everyone of you. 

God Bless

love

Nancy

 

 

 

LINK TO TINY HEARTS BIBLE STUDY

Here is a the link to the Tiny Hearts Bible Study. If you are looking for a way to start teaching your little ones about the Lord, this should help. She is devoted to using things that you already have at home and keeping it simple. God Bless  http:// tinyheartsblog.blogspot.com

Matthew Chapter 18 part 1

Chapter 18 is a famous , well known chapter of the bible. The "must come as a child" verses are here as well as the "cut off your hand and feet and pluck out your eye" verses and the forgive "seventy times seven" verses. All of these topics have been debated, written about, and over analyzed for years. My goal is to help you remember  that these verses can be found in Matthew Chapter 18. As always, I will do my best to give you something to think about that will hopefully help you remember.
The literal beginning to Chapter 18 is "In that hour". The same hour that Peter pulled the tax money out of the fishes mouth (Matt 17:27). The disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Just to give a little back ground, we are told in Mark 9:33-34, that when the disciples arrived in Capernaum, (which is where our narrative in Matthew picks up) Jesus asked them what they had been discussing on the way. Verse 9: 34 in Mark  says that they kept silent because they had been discussing which of them was the greatest.
This is one of those passages where if we do not remember that these men were human beings with sinful, frail natures, just like our own, we will miss some very important teaching points in this passage. 

The disciples had prideful ambitions. They were still waiting for Jesus to set up His kingdom on earth, they knew that He would be putting together His government and they were starting to try to guess where they would personally fit into Jesus's plans. In Matthew 20:21 we see the mother of James and John asking if her son's could sit at  the Lord's  right and His left when He established His kingdom. According to Eerdman's, it is clear that she was not asking this for her sons to be honored with this after their deaths. She was asking for this honor to be bestowed when Jesus set up the earthly kingdom which they all thought was eminent. Nope, this was self seeking, worldly ambition on the part of the disciples.  
Jesus does not address the problem with them directly. Instead, to answer their question about who was the greatest, He calls a little child to himself. It was probably a child able to run to Him but still small enough for Him to easily gather the child into His arms (Mark 9:36).  He then tells  the disciples in Matthew 18:3-5,  that unless they are completely changed and become like little children, they cannot enter the kingdom of God and that they needed to become humble, like a little child, if they wanted to be the greatest in heaven.
Try to get the mental picture here. He takes a a small child and sets it before a group of big, strong, full of their own importance, men and says, become like this and then you will be the greatest. 

Besides raising 5 children of my own, I teach a Sunday school class, almost every Sunday. The children in this class are between the ages of 3-7. They come into class at 3, very uncivilized and leave at 7, able to sit through church with a list of big kid questions to answer. The 3 year olds need mom just about every other Sunday and are only staying, (on the Sundays they do stay), for the popcorn and cookies. All of them in this age group are honest, they never hide their emotions. They are exuberant with their praise and their love of the grown ups in their lives. They clearly love the idea of going to heaven (because all things are possible) and are very willing to pray for forgiveness of their sins and accept Jesus as their savior. 

An older sibling in the class once pointed out to me that his younger brother, who joined the class at 3, had not accepted Jesus yet. When we discussed it again , he waited anxiously for his brother to give his answer to the question of accepting Christ.

They are humble to a fault. They know that they don't know everything. They take the word of God at face value and listen attentively especially if there is  some amazing detail in the passage I'm reading to them. They are little sinners, but forgive and easily forget transgressions against them and transgressions that they have committed. I look at them and think "this is how God wants me to be before Him"

Verse 18:5 is amazing. Jesus says " whoever receives one such child in my name receives me". I am not a Greek scholar, so I use a Greek lexicon to look up words and meanings. I also use Eerdman's Pulpit Commentaries because he literally gives the Greek  meanings of the passages before the commentaries.
That said, the important word in this passage is "receives" . The words first literal meaning is "to take by the hand". According to Eerdmans, this means to truly love, to show tender affection, to provide for in every way. Emotionally, physically and spiritually.
 At first this verse did not seem to go with the rest of the passage but as I thought and prayed over this I could see that Jesus is telling us that this is where His heart is. In Luke 18:15 it tells us that they were bringing babies to Him so that He might touch them. It says that the disciples were trying to keep the little children away. In Luke 18:16, Jesus says, "Permit the children to come to Me and do not hider them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (18:17) Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter at all"
"They are greatest in the kingdom" "The Kingdom of God is made up of such as these""whoever does

not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter at all". Is it possible that Jesus was reminded of  His heavenly home when He saw little children here on earth ? That  when we look at little children here on earth,  what we see is  as close as we are  going to get to seeing what we and the others are going to be like in heaven?

This would explain why the heart of God seems so caring toward the orphan and the fatherless child., and why He pronounces such a sever punishment on any who would stumbles them. In  Matt. 18:6, Jesus talks about a millstone being put around the neck and being cast into the sea for stumbling a little one. We lose a lot in the translation of this verse because of the times and the cultural differences. It literally says, the millstone that has to be pulled around by an ass. Jesus is making a point here about the size of the millstone. The Jews did not execute their people this way, but the pagans did. To be drowned with a millstone around your neck to keep your body from floating up, would be an abhorrent death to the Jews. For your family not to be able to bury you would be considered the worst of tragedies. The Jews have very strict traditions they follow when a loved one dies, including some one sitting with the body until it is buried, which needs to be within a short time because they do not approve of any kind of embalming.  They have many traditions that are strictly adhered to to honor a dead loved one. It is actually very interesting reading, but the point here is that Jesus was giving them a scenario of the worst possible death for a Jew to endure.
Jesus knows that little children need love and care. They are easily damaged by the grown ups in there lives and He makes it clear how serious an infraction this is. Little children are His people. The kingdom of God is filled with people like them. 
This is getting long and I haven't even addressed the amazing verse about " their angels continually beholding the face of God". (18:10) I think that will have to come later.

This will have to be Part 1 of Chapter 18. Keep reading your bibles ladies! God speaks through His word. I am praying for all you. Practice you memory tools as you go to sleep, or as you wait at a stop light,  or anytime you are waiting. We spend a lot of time in America hurrying so we can wait . Turn that time into God's time.
I'm not sure what we will use to remember this chapter yet. I will post it when I figure it out.
Much love
Nancy    

An Earthen Vessel

The first time we see Mary, she is seated at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him talk and teach of the things of God. (Luke 10:38) Luke says that Martha, her sister, had invited Jesus into their home. There was a problem because Martha was working hard to serve everyone and Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him instead of helping her sister Martha. We all know this story and if you think that this is another teaching about the Marys and the Marthas in the world, you are mistaken.

I want to challenge you to think of Mary as the flesh and blood human being that she was. Her brother, Lazarus, was  a personal friend of Jesus in a different capacity than the disciples.We don't know how Jesus knew this family or for how long  He knew them before the recorded events took place. We can say for certain that Mary was drawn to Jesus and knew that He was incredibly special. She knew that he was capable of healing the sick because the next time we see her in scripture is in John11. Here we find out that the two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus when their brother Lazarus gets sick.   Jesus does not go to them right away and Lazarus dies. When Jesus does  arrive in Bethany, Martha says " Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died" It also says that Martha went to meet Him but Mary did not. Is it possible that Mary and Martha were a little upset with Jesus? They must have known that He could have made it to them quicker than He did. They knew where He was and knew how long the journey took to get to them.  Remember, they were people, women, just like us. It is possible that they had discussed the fact that Jesus had not made it to them in time. Where was He when they needed Him?
At this point in John 11, Martha professes that she still believes that God will give Him anything He asks for and that he is the Christ, the Son of God, but her words in between those professions do not seem to prove that she really believed them .
 She calls Mary and tells her that Jesus is asking for her. When Mary gets to Jesus the scripture says she falls at the feet of Jesus, her grief overcoming her. She speaks the same words that Martha had said to Jesus. "Lord , if you had been here, my brother would not have died"

The Scripture says that Jesus was very moved  and asks them to remove the stone in front of Lazarus's tomb. At this point  Martha, the one who had just told Jesus that she believed that He was the Son of God , protested loudly that by now her brother's body would surely stink. It appears that Mary just watched the whole thing unfold. 
Jesus prays to God the Father that those around Him might believe that He was indeed sent by the Father and He calls Lazarus to come out of his grave. 
Now, fast forward to John 12. Jesus is again eating with Lazarus and his family. Mary comes with a pound of very costly perfume. Mark 14:3 says she "broke the vial and poured it over His head". 

According to Unger's and what I could glean from the internet. This vial or jar, would have been either a family investment, or part of a dowry given to Mary by someone intending to marry her. This pound of pure Nard had great significance. The fact that she broke the container open meant that there was no going back. There was no resealing this container to use on another occasion or to use for another purpose.  Either this was a family decision to honor Jesus or Mary was making a very personal statement to Him. It seems to me that the statement was very personal to Mary. After all, she wipes His feet with her hair according to John 12. 

Is it possible that Mary was very fond of Jesus in every way? She was just an ordinary woman who was fortunate enough in her lifetime to meet the King of Kings. When I started dating my husband, he was a believer in Jesus. I was not. As I got to know him, I could see that he had something that I didn't have. I could tell that there was something different about him so I asked him to take me to church. Now I know that it was the Holy Spirit in his life and it was very appealing. I for one, think that Jesus our Lord, full of the Holy Spirit in human flesh, would be very appealing to the heart of a woman. He was kind and caring to a fault. He healed the sick, fed the hungry and brought her own brother back to life. And in Rev. 19, He is described as the quintessential "Prince" Coming on a white horse for His bride and it says His name is Faithful and True. (which by the way, is where we get all of the stories of the prince coming on a white horse.) What woman does not want "faithful and true"?

I am not writing this to suggest that anything transpired between Mary and our Lord. I'm doing it to make a point. It is very possible that Mary was completely and totally devoted to an earthly Jesus at this point. She could have seen Him as her future. Her all in all. It is also possible that she had her life and future all worked out in her mind. She thought of many scenarios for herself and all of them seemed good if Jesus was going to be in her future. I am basing this on what I would have been thinking if I were her. I would have had the plan all worked out in my mind.

Then what happens? Her Lord, her life, her love,her King of Kings is cruelly murdered. After the death of Jesus, many Marys are mentioned in the scriptures but historians agree that none of them are her. There is no factual basis to the stories that she and Mary Magdalene are the same person. No, after the dinner and the pound of Nard, she fades into obscurity.  

But what if we could see what her life was like after the crucifixion. It is possible that she was completely  devastated. The Chief Priests were plotting to kill her brother (Matt12:10) as well as Jesus and they had succeeded at least, with half of their plan. She and her family would have been put out of the synagog for their relationship with Jesus. Basically, her world would have fallen completely apart. She knew in her spirit that she had been right where God wanted her. She knew Jesus had the words to eternal life and yet, things were  horrible now. Nothing had worked out the way she thought it would. Her life was not going to be what she thought it would be. 

Sound familiar? 

I like to think that Mary heard of the resurrection very soon after it occurred. That she was present for Pentecost and that she, very soon was able to give her Lord and savior the proper place in her life. 

Jesus needed to become the King of her eternity not just the King of her heart.  Hopefully she soon realized that whatever the King of Kings had for her, was enough. That her life was in Him now, seen or unseen. 

It has to be this way for us too. Jesus has to be enough for what ever is happening in our lives. Coming to this point in our relationship with Jesus is a true milestone to measure in our growth as a Christian.

I remember when the Lord spoke His word into my life as I stood in the hallway of a hospital where my youngest daughter lay in intensive care. I was having a discussion with one of her Drs and a nurse rushed out and said that I needed to come right away because my baby was not doing well and they were afraid that she might not live. The situation was dire. I needed to rush forward at that moment but my legs would not move. I was not sure that they would even hold me up much less let me hurry forward. I heard the verse from Job spoken into my heart . "Though He slay me , I will hope in Him" (Job 13:15)

My girl, doing her favorite thing.

At that moment I realized that He was enough for me, not just enough but He was all I needed. He was my King.  He holds my past, present and future in His hands with a greater love than I will ever know from anyone else. 

He gave my baby back to me.When I was finally able to hold her again there was nothing more wonderful. She is 11 now, and we have been through many more hospital stays and surgeries since that day. I still pray everyday that the Lord will complete her healing. But, His love, His sweetness, His power is enough for this woman's heart. "Though he slay me,I will hope in Him"

Love
Nancy

Matthew Chapter 17

Where is the 3rd disciple?

I can't help myself. I'm such a visual thinker that I found all of these renditions of the transfiguration, very interesting. I hope you don't mind if I include some of the pictures that I found. 

So six days after He spoke to His disciples about  dying on a cross, He takes John, James and Peter to a high mountain. Verse 17:2 tells us that He was "transfigured".  He was changed some how and His face shone and His garments shined like light. 
As I was looking through the pictures on line I found myself trying to compare each one to what the scripture says about this event. I rejected some of the pictures I found because they did not resemble the description that was written at all.

Matthew tells us in verse 17:3 that Moses and Elijah appeared with Him. We actually get more details to this story in Luke 9 and Mark 9. Luke tells us that they went up on the mountain to pray and while they were there, the disciples became sleepy and fell asleep. It was some time during this catnap that Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking to Jesus. Luke tells us that they were speaking of His "departure" which he was about to accomplish. I find this amazing. They were not speaking of His glory, or His majesty. They were speaking of the cross. They were speaking of the suffering that was ahead of Him on this earth and what He was to accomplish.

I don't think E. and M. look glorious enough,

Luke 9:31.

I find this account very embarrassing for the disciples. They were praying with Jesus and struggling to stay awake. They were so human. I think we can all relate to that.

I think that Jesus and these two, once earthly beings, were speaking of the cross and Jesus's plan of departure from this earth, as a way to show the disciples that the cross was the divine plan.  And also, it was a way of showing them that He was Lord of all. In this one event, he showed them that He wasn't just a prophet but that He had command over life and death and command over the world seen and unseen.

It felt to me as I read this chapter, that the disciples woke to hear them talking as a child may wake to hear the grown ups talking late at night. Luke 9 tells us that, Elijah and Moses had started to leave, so at this point, Peter says; Master it is good that we are here. Let us make sacred tents for You, Moses and Elijah. Eerdman speculates that possibly Peter was trying to  keep Elijah and Moses from leaving. It is possible that he felt that he had missed the bulk of this amazing event by drifting off and was trying to make this incredible experience last a little longer. We know that Peter knew that Elijah was to precede the Messiah because he asks about it later (17:10). Maybe he thought that this was it. Time for Jesus to be revealed and take His rightful place as King.
As they were traveling down the mountain, Jesus tells them to tell no one about what they saw until He was raised from the dead.  Mark 9:10 tells us that after He told them to keep silent, they debated about what He meant by "raised from the dead". They still did not understand what had to take place.

I included this one because of the man down below with his ailing son.Even though the scriptures are clear that the two events did not happen at the same time

For the next passages, I want to use Matthew 17, Luke 9 and Mark 9, to get a better understanding of the actual event. The next day , when Jesus and the disciples came down the mountain, they saw a large crowd gathered. The 9 disciples, who remained down at the bottom of the mountain, were in an argument with a group of scribes. They were surrounded by a large crowd. When the crowd saw Jesus, they ran to meet Him. One in that crowd, was a man who fell down at the feet of Jesus asking Him to heal his demon possesd   son.  We are given an incredible description of what this boy suffered in Mark, Luke and Matthew. His father said he was a lunatic, (which in those days meant that he was affected by the cycles of the moon) he was unable to speak or hear. He was possessed by a demon which caused him to have seizures, convulsions, to foam at the mouth and to throw himself into fire and water in an attempt to destroy himself.  When Jesus was approaching . His father begs Jesus to help them "if He can". Remember, He had just seen Jesus's disciples fail at healing his son of this terrible demon possession. The demon throws the boy to the ground as Jesus approaches and the boy cries out in his suffering. 
Passages like this give us an insight into the spiritual world. We see Moses and Elijah with Jesus  obviously existing in a spiritual state. We also see how a demon seems to be able to randomly select a small child to torment. I think all of us agree that Moses and Elijah are not dead anymore than the Devil and demons are  dead. It is important that we read these passages and  see the reality of what we are reading about. We should not be living as if the spiritual world does not exist. We see in Matt. 22:31-32, Mark 12:26-27 and Luke 20:37-38, Jesus says that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and then He says that He is the God of the living not the dead.  Ephes. 6:12 says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
There is a constant struggle going on for good and evil in our lives and the lives of our families and our loved ones.

In Matthew, Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that they could not cast out the demon because of the littleness of their faith. I have prayed over this passage to help understand what about their faith was little? What were they missing? I wanted to understand. I wanted to know, what about my faith is little? What am I missing?
I believe the answer is in how we view eternity. Do we understand the reality of the spiritual world we cannot see?  Do we give importance to the things that will build our closeness to God and our faith in the future He has promised us?
Once we understand, we have to pray to apply this understanding to our lives, our thoughts and our actions. We have to pray for an eternal perspective in how we live our lives everyday. We have to start living from God's perspective.  
It can be done. Ask God to show you how to live out everyday by considering everything in the scope of eternity.
Since I started praying for understanding, I have seen many of my faults with glaring clarity. I have seen many areas where I was considering how a situation impacted me and not really considering how it was impacting the other humans I come in contact with everyday. I have been able to see that my reactions, words and thoughts can have eternal consequences in the lives of other people.
I think the most important question I have learned to ask is : How will my thoughts, words and actions reflect on my Precious Savior in this situation? This question can be applied to every area of our lives.
Our mothering, our marriages, our friendships. Our shopping at the grocery store, eating out, driving down the street. How we spend our spare time. 
Pray that our precious, almighty, amazing God, would give you His eternal perspective.
Ok, so enough.

I'm not sure about this one.

I HAD A REALLY HARD TIME COMING UP WITH SOMETHING CLEVER TO REMEMBER THIS CHAPTER WITH SO WE ARE JUST GOING TO REMEMBER; MATTHEW 17, THE TRANSFIGURATION  If you can remember that MARK 9 AND LUKE 9 also have the same content as Matthew 17 that will help you too.
Read, read read.... remember to read your chapters over and over again before you try to remember your memory tools and before you move to the next chapter. This will help you to cement the content in your mind. ALSO, REMEMBER TO PRACTICE YOUR MEMORY TOOLS EVERYDAY!!! I like to practice as I'm falling asleep at night. It may cure insomnia. If it doesn't, you will know the Book of Matthew very well.


Much love,
I am praying for all of you,
Nancy

Matthew chapter 16

Because Chapter 16 starts with the word "And", we have to assume that the Pharisees and Sadducees were waiting for Jesus when he exited the boat from verse 15:39. This is the first time we see the Pharisees and Sadducees challenge Him together. Many times we have seen the Pharisees and the teachers, or, Scribes come and challenge Him or ask for a "sign" but never before, in this Gospel, have we seen these two groups together. 
There is a good reason for that. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had fundamental differences in their beliefs.  Please forgive if you already know this, but the Pharisees and Sadducees were different sects of Judaism. Much like Charismatics and Southern Baptists are different sects of Christianity.

 According to Unger's Bible dictionary ;The Sadducee were the wealthy, ruling aristocrats that did not believe in using the Talmud as a guide. They adhered strictly to the teachings of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body or  angels or spiritual beings except God Himself. The Pharisees held to the Talmud as law and believed that the law was open to interpretation through the Talmud. 
The two groups did not agree on much, so it was very unusual that they would team up to confront Jesus.
 In verse 16:1 They ask Him for a sign. According to Erdman's commentaries, they were not asking for a miracle. They had seen and heard of many of those. They wanted the sign that would put an end to all doubt. They wanted a defining moment. They wanted to see the vision spoken of in Daniel 
7:13-14, where the Messiah comes and presents Himself to God for all eternity  as the almighty ruler of all peoples. The "Son of Man". 
This was a favorite sign of the Jews. They eagerly awaited the return of Elijah and this vision of the Messiah. Jesus knew this well, he often called Himself the Son of Man.

He answers them in verses 16: 2-3, and says that they knew how to look at the sky to figure out the weather (red sky in the morning, sailor take warning ect...) but that they could not discern the spiritual things by looking at what was happening all around them. In verse 16: 4, he calls them evil and adulterous and tells them that no sign except Jonah would be given. 
The next passage, verses 16:5-12, is a marvelous example of the work of the Holy Spirit in the scriptures. We are told that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread on their journey, so when Jesus said to them  "beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" they immediately think that He is saying this because they forgot to bring bread. Jesus calls them "men of little faith" and asks them didn't they remember the five thousand He fed or the four thousand He fed and how much was left over?  He asks them how is it that they can think that He is talking about bread when he is talking about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Verse 16:12, says, they then understood that He was talking about the teachings of the Pharisees and Saducees being able to permeate everything like leaven in bread dough, not physical bread.

What makes this a marvelous example of the Holy Spirit at work in the scriptures, is the fact that most people do not want to expose their  shortcomings  to the world. The disciples would probably have rather left out the parts of the story where they let Jesus down or fell short in their spiritual understanding. Instead, their mistakes, lack of faith and shortcomings are here for us to see. I am convinced that Matthew wrote these verses only by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  

Verses 16:13-20 are long debated, and commented on by everyone so I will skip those verses. The assumption I make, is that you, on your own, are reading these chapters over and over again. Make sure you read these verses if you haven't already.

As we finish the chapter starting with verse 16: 21, something very interesting happens. In verse 21 Jesus starts to show His disciples the Messiah described in Isaiah 53. He wants to show them that this prophesy of the suffering servant must be fulfilled by the Son of Man, before He can come in His Glory and fulfill the vision asked for by the Pharisees and Sadducees. There is no doubt that the disciples were waiting for Him to reveal Himself and fulfill the prophesies in Daniel just as the Pharisees and Saducees were. He takes the time to explain what will happen to Him. He tells them plainly that He will be tortured and killed at the hands of the rulers, scribes and even the Priests and He will be raised up on the third day.
 (In verse 16:22-23, we take a little detour here, where we have the famous verse that Jesus said to Peter that Christians and non-Christians alike are familiar with. "Get thee behind Me Satan" We will use this to remember the chapter because it is such a familiar verse.  However, we need to remove the "thee" and use 'GET BEHIND ME SATAN' because this phrase without "thee",  has  sixteen letters. ) OK, So we need to regather our thoughts to get the point. 
Jesus goes on , starting in verse 16:24, to show them that the way to the glorious kingdom age that they were all waiting for, was going to be through the cross. He makes this amazing statement to them "if any man wishes to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me". Remember, Jesus had not gone to the cross yet. We have the benefit of hindsight, the disciples did not. It is not clear whether they even understood what He was really saying to them. 
In verse 16:25, He says:" For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it". He is explaining to them that they must be willing to lose their lives in their decision to follow Him. In verse 16:26, He speaks in general terms here and makes it clear that not only are their souls at stake, but every mans soul. 

He then finishes right where the chapter began. In verses 16:27-28, He speaks of just what the Pharisees and Sadducee are asking to see. "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and will recompense everyman according to his deeds" He was making it clear to them that , it is going to happen. He is coming, He will fulfill the prophecies and will be seen in His glorious kingdom. 

He also tells them that some from their group would be able to see this happen before their death. John was the only one, that we know of, that got this opportunity. You can read about it in the book of Revelation.

I know that this is hard work. I know that it is time consuming, but keep going. The Lord will use it in your conversations with everyone. You will be able to find topics easily in the Book of Matthew. You will know your Bible better than you ever have before and the Lord will bless as you think and pray to remember His word.
I am praying for all of you.
God Bless
Love
Nancy