Thought for day 244 – Sermon on the Mount – Wednesday
Sept 1, 2021
Matthew 5:1 “And when He saw the multitudes.”
It was not a good time to live in Rome. The listeners had no control over their fate. If asked about why they were there, there was a common denominator “the world was out of control.” The political was controlling the faithful. Life was becoming totally disconnected. The individual had little or no voice. Rome’s military was being deployed everywhere. Lawlessness was becoming the norm. The divide between the rich and poor was widening. Religious conviction was becoming irrelevant. Religion had moved from faith to a distraction. Worship was moving from community to opera. Life was simply keeping up appearances. The new normal was something to cry and to mourn about. Those following Jesus simply wanted something to believe in. Something they could feel. Something to restore hope.
Jesus was well acquainted with the turmoil and hopelessness of the world around them. The multitude was whimpering in their circumstances. I have been there many times. The news makes me want to just scream. The world is out of control. I want it to get better, but I know it will not. I think when Jesus stopped on his journey to the cross and looked over all the sadness represented by those wanting more than they had, I see myself there. Jesus is telling me today that my hope is not in this world full of tears. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus!
Thought for day 245 – Sermon on the Mount – Thursday Sept 2, 2021
Matthew 5:1 “And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain.”
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The vast throng of wanting, needy, and spiritually devoid were following Jesus. Some were expecting miracles. Others were expecting someone to tell them they had worth in a Roman society which told them only Romans counted. They were there because of Jesus.
Just to keep from stepping each other the multitude had spread out into a long line divided by family. They had gathered from the cities, towns, and the countryside. They followed to hear the Rabbi. Those closest would hear a snippet of wisdom and pass it down the line of walking wounded. But by the time this knowledge reached the end it was exaggerated and poorly understood. The disciples were constantly being harassed to repeat the words of Jesus. Those who came to hear could not hear. Those who wanted to learn were not learning. Those in need were not being helped. Those who wanted to feel, touch the divine were isolated by hundreds clamoring to get a little closer.
It was time to stop that all may hear. And Jesus found a place where all could hear and be comforted. No great cathedral or confined synagogue. He chose a grassy hillside. A quiet place, a place without distinctions or distractions. A place to hear, learn, and live. Lord, lead me to that place!
Thought for day 246 – Sermon on the Mount – Friday Sept. 3, 2021
Matthew 5:1,2, “And when He saw the multitudes. He went up on the hill; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them.”
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For the disciples, the sight was overwhelming. I can almost see Peter running through the crowd trying to organize them into some sort of order by shouting, “men over here, ladies keep your kids in order, Simon keep watch over there.” Matthew the former tax collector was trying to understand the immensity of it all. Young John being almost giddy in the moment.
Then Jesus sat down. He was sitting there waiting for the disciples to finish their fretting and fussing. Each of the disciples finally realized something special was about to happen. The called ones slowly filtered through the crowd and sat in a semi-circle around the now quiet Jesus. To this chosen group of especially committed He taught.
While God sees the big picture, drawn with broad strokes of pain, joy, tribulation, peace, apostacy and peace, He is more interested in the individual. How I follow, how I believe is more important than the teaming multitude. God’s plan no matter how grand and awe inspiring it may be, it starts with me. This moment on a grassy hillside in the spring of 27AD a few men and women were being taught.
Lord slow me down. Teach me!
Thought for day 247 – Sermon on the Mount – Saturday Sept. 4, 2021
Matthew 5:1,2, “And when He saw the multitudes. He went up on the hill; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them.”
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Jesus’ teaching on a hill side has been called the greatest sermon ever given. When I read it again and again; I see something much more personal, much more intimate[LMS2] . The walkers following Jesus was now so large they were described as a multitude. The masses were assembled, but the teaching was not really for them. Though described as a group and could well envision a great united congregation, everyone on this this hillside came with their own agendas, needs, and for some, simply curiosity.
And Jesus taught them. His message was not about a new theology. His message moved beyond the heady and distressing culture to the emotion. Blessed for those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are gentle, who are hungry, who are merciful, who are pure in heart, who are peacemakers, who are persecuted and lied about. Words filled with emotion. Words that drive us to our deepest feelings.
I must let my emotion speak in the now. All the theology and prior understandings of God must take a back seat. This sermon speaks another language, a language of the heart. For this moment I simply let the grass of the hillside cool my heated mind and learn the language of the heart.
Thought for day 248 – Sermon on the Mount – Sunday Sept. 5, 2021
Matthew 5: 1,2,3 “And when He saw the multitudes. He went up on the hill; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them. BLESSED.”
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Opinions are like belly buttons; we all have one! What is Jesus teaching His disciples? Is it a new standard or a new set of laws to live by? It is a calling to a new social justice gospel? Is it a place where we can pick and choose what we would like to hear? It is a great theology? Here Jesus teaches the those who would follow. It teaches of a group of characteristics of a singular nature attached with the title disciple. The beatitudes were never meant to be separated. They are a description of grace and mercy bestowed on all believers. Each is an inclusive characteristic of every believer and that includes me.
Jesus was NOT saying that if you live a certain way, then you will become a Christian. Instead, Jesus was teaching to Peter and the gang, “if you follow me, you should exhibit a characteristic certainty within your life.
Being blessed is not happiness, or even a momentary emotional reaction to God’s grace, but something more. Blessedness is something bestowed. It is something that is freely given. It is God blessing us. I am blessed not because I feel like it. I am blessed because God has done a might work in my life! I am blessed!
Thought for day 249 – Sermon on the Mount – Monday Sept. 6, 2021
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
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These nine “blessings” is about the totality of a believer’s character. Character determines attitude which in turn determines action. Because of my decision to follow Him, I am blessed by God with the attitude of being poor of spirit. What does that mean?
Does it mean being a milk toast door mat to the world around me? Is it covering my head with ashes and tearing my clothes as they did in the Old Testament? Is it holding my head at the right angle in prayer? What is being poor in spirit?
It is seeing myself as who I really am before God. It is being conscious of my imperfections and my state of unworthiness before God. It is a mindset of never thinking myself as being better or more holy than you. I sit at the feet of Jesus with an understanding that all my preparations, organizations, methods, processes are not much. I am blessed in my poorness of spirit, of my humility before God, because I am gifted with the Kingdom of Heaven. I am blessed not because I earned it or even deserve it. Nevertheless, I am blessed because the Reign of God already dwells in my life.
Thought for day 250 – Sermon on the Mount – Tuesday Sept. 7, 2021
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
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The second attitude of belief. After the acknowledgement of my inability to earn or deserve a freely given Kingdom of heaven, I must now come to grips with my grief. A grief which includes repentance, sorrow, crying out in my regret. Being sorry, remorseful, apologetic, pathetic before God. I need God to love me in spite of my outward arrogance. I need God to look beyond my brash yet artificial eternal confidence and see me to the deepest level. I open myself to God and see my internal grieving. I am not enough. I will never be enough.
In this moment of total reality, I am comforted. I join the multitude on the grass side hill and am consoled, relieved, thankful, and reassured.
Thought for day 251 – Sermon on the Mount – Wednesday Sept. 8, 2021
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
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Third on the list of attitudes of belief is translated either as “meekness” or “gentleness”. An endowed character given lavishly to followers.
Occasionally I am impatient when I am trying to get something done and there is some competing distracting me. I do not tolerate interruptions well. For me, there is no such a thing as multitasking. The multitude could not walk along the paths of life and learn from Him at the same time. The time and effort to switch from walking to learning lent itself to errors due to insufficient attention. Jesus knew quite well that life was interrupting change.
The patient endurance of life is an activity of distraction. Endurance is something that must be done. It was a “keep calm and carry on” type of thing. All the energy of putting up a good face, living a life amid turmoil, getting your just rewards, was preventing the attainment of something better. That something better was simply relaxing and letting God sort it out. It is being meek. It is being gentle. It is stopping what I am doing and face the interruption as an opportunity for leaning and learning. Why? Because I already have an inheritance. Blessed are the interrupted and relishing the moment because it is all good.
Thought for day 252 – Sermon on the Mount – Thursday September 9, 2021
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”
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“The world is going to hell in a hand basket.” I need more than what my culture, my society, my community, my neighborhood, my church, or my family provides. I have a deep inner desire to have more than what I have in my life. I hunger. I thirst. But it must be more than what others may see.
Jesus was teaching His disciples, and by proxy the multitudes and through the ages to me, a new realization. My passion must be for more than a better me. I will never live up to my own expectations. I will always fall short of my own glorious ideal. I am less than I could or should be. There is no solution for my hunger and thirst for the ultimate me. I must change my focus.
My focus, my change of view must be from the external me to the internal possibility of grace, forgiveness, and redemption. I must shift from my own worthiness to a righteousness defined by God. And when this shifting happens, there is a filling. There is satisfaction. There is rest. Thank you, Lord.
Thought for day 253 – Sermon on the mount – Friday Sept. 10, 2021
Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”
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It is easy to be a cynic. To always look with a critical eye on everything. To look at the world around me and criticize the smallest nuance of failure is an attitude of distraction. It is easy to live a live filled with doubt. When I exit off the freeway at the stop light is the inevitable homeless man holding a sign which draws my attention. In one fleeting moment I feel compassion, and a “For by the grace of God go I” spirit. Nevertheless, the next thought is not about what I can do to help, but a question of the why and what if the moment. I question, “are there no programs, or social safety nets for those who hold their pitiful handwritten signs and interject themselves into my comfortable world?” The light turns green and I drive on with an inner resolve to research the cause of homelessness. Not very merciful!
I read and discover the cause of the majority of the homeless in my state is first poverty and secondly housing. What am I to do? Pay more taxes, I don’t think so. Invite every sign holding person to come home with me? I don’t think that would work either. Jesus was talking directly first to the disciples. Those who had already decided to follow. They needed an attitude adjustment. An attitude that included mercy.
What is mercy? Mercy is a very emotional response or an inner pity for those who have fallen into misfortune or unhappiness. But it is more than a dollar bill thrown out the window to sooth a feeling. I am to be merciful because I have been shown mercy.
Thought for day 254 – Sermon on the Mount – Saturday Sept. 11, 2021
Matthew 5:7 –”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
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What do I see before me in the late autumn of my life? I am much closer to the end of my earthly existence than most. I follow Jesus and take my seat among the multitude. From the grassy hillside Jesus looks at me and sees deep down in my soul. He sees the scars left by uncountable rejections, denials, efforts gone wrong; each have left a scar. My heart is still pumping despite all the self-inflicted wounds. It pumps because to Jesus the soul seer, the scars do not matter. All the self-inflicted damages will do not stop the heart that shall see God.
I will see God because He has done a great work in me. My heart may well be disfigured but it has become pure for God and by God. And I am blessed. Blessed to see God in everything I see and do. Pure heart, new vision.
Thought for day 255 – Sermon on the Mount – Saturday Sept. 11, 2021
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
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My attitude stinks. I am easily hurt by remarks that may well be innocent. My emotions may not be easily seen because I stuff my reactions to self-perceived slights down in a very dark place. I drag this conglomeration of festering vile negative emotions wherever I go. I look around and I know quite a few of my fellow grassy hill sitters who also carry such burdens.
But what is the alternative to living with my pain? Is it better to lash out and deliver witty condemning comments? Is this what would make be better?
Peacemakers are people living with everyone in peace and harmony and fostering peace among people. If I am to be called a child of God, then must find a different way. I must let it all go and reach out the first hand of peace. To be a God child I must live at peace with myself. I must see those around me on the green side hill as also needing peace. Just like I need peace. I need a new relationship with God with a united peacemaking cause and reach out in peace..
Thought for day 256 – Sermon on the Mount – Sunday Sept. 12, 2021
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
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Hold on Jesus! The first seven statements got my attention. I like the idea of citizenship, comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, visions, and adoption. I am filled up to the brim with these positive characteristics of my following. The first seven were about who and what I am. These are all good things. My fellow hillside sitters and I are filled with praise, hope and happiness.
There is a subtle change here. Jesus countenance changes. He becomes serious because He knows what happens to those who follow. He moves from who we are to what happens because of my new attributes. My new life causes some negative responses. Persecution and insults. I don’t like that kind of stuff. The last two of the beatitudes are not about me being something, but how I react to the external.
Jesus was very serious about what was to come. He understood the inevitability of hard times and difficult situations. These last two of the nine warns me of what is in store for me. These last two are still attached to blessings, but, if the price I must pay for my new life is living with persecution and insult, so be it. And I will be glad about it.
Thought for day 257 – Sermon on the Mount – Monday Sept. 13, 2021
Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
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The first seven beatitudes from the hillside were about an inheritance, blessings, and praiseworthy traits of believer followers. All good stuff. But now the not so good stuff. Persecution is not something I want to entertain in my life. Nevertheless, Jesus said it. Righteousness brings persecution. Come on Jesus I try to get along. What is state of being, this attribute of following, which carries citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven?
It can’t be a culturally mandated righteousness. Being right in a world which has no accountability and even fewer expectations is easy. Being what the world expects of me is not that much. Being unfriended from social media does not equal persecution. Sure, I occasionally make others feel some negative things. I could be seen as offensive even making a micro aggression. It seems that in the current culture, the worst thing I can do is to offend someone. The righteousness which Jesus was referring to must be more than being politically correct. If the worst persecution the world would have for me is not being read and liked, then so be it.
There are those who would tear me down for my stand for Jesus, but the Kingdom of Heaven is for those who understand and accept the yoke of God’s burden, no matter the size or weight.
Thought for day 258 – Sermon on the Mount – Tuesday Sept. 14, 2021
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”
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Not everyone believes the same way I do. If there was, there would be no need for me. There are those who disagree so strongly they cast arrows of disdain and rejection in my direction. There have been times when I had to patiently bear disgrace, persecution, malice, defamation, mockery, privation and ignorance. I write into oblivion in the slow meanderings of my own river of life and I am content. I am blessed. I am at peace. I am well assured of the ultimate end of my personal flowing. If there is no other reason to have joy and gladness it is this: there is a reward in Heaven for me.
Take time and listen to the blessings and reasons for life. I feel the same breeze that Jesus felt on the edge of a mountain. A breeze that cools the brow. Yet, Jesus knew there would be a time when that cool breeze of refreshment would become a storm. A storm filled with revulsion, slander, lies and a cross. But first he had to tell us it is OK. I sit at his feet and listen; it is enough for now. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.”
Thought for day 259 – Sermon on the Mount – Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021
Matthew 5:3-12 The beatitudes.
Nine attitudes of a Christian life. Attitudes finding their base in Jesus. Attitudes that make Christians different. Attitudes when all tallied up make a difference in my life. Today I must circle back to one word that begins each. What is this blessing? What is this favoritism, this acknowledgement of my worth which is pointed to those who have these attitudes? How is Jesus living through the individual? How do I understand, experience, feel this blessing?
For me is it well explained in a letter written to a singular church who needed a blessing. They were fighting a good fight against a church politics. One side was saying they were led by the spiritual and didn’t need any other guide. The other was extolling the merits of keeping every law, precept, tradition, and cultural norm. Spirit verses flesh. And the apostle Paul tells them the blessing from God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, control. (Galatians 5:22,23). What a blessing! Nine reasons for nine attitudes. Gifted to become and to be.
Thought for day 260 – Sermon on the Mount – Thursday Sept. 16, 2021
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, expect to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
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Did you hear it? Jesus moved on to the next idea. He moved from the blessings and encouragement to a much deeper subject. From “blessed are” to “you are”. He is getting personal. He had grabbed our attention with virtues and blessings. Each of them included a promise and a hope. The crowd was getting into this message. There were muffled voices of, “amen” and “preach it Rabbi”.
There is a change in Jesus as if a cloud moved between the sun and the listeners. The very countenance of Jesus takes on a shadow. He knew there were those who would follow to the end and beyond. Furthermore, He knew there were some who were there only for the blessings and nothing more.
Here Jesus slows his pace. Jesus knew well the next point was going to make someone question their place on the hillside. ”You are the salt of the earth”. You are the stuff that makes the world taste good. You make the difference in a dull and tasteless existence. You make life worth living.
I smile at my ability make a difference to all those around me. Jesus continues with a sad lilt to his voice telling us there is a good chance our salt may become worthless.
What if my zest, my blessings, my excitement becomes less than what it should be? What happens if I become so ruined by the things that would dilute and adulterate me that the salt becomes worthless? What is the result of salt not being salty?” A question that only one answer. “It is good for nothing, and I should expect to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
I must pause today. Pause and see if my salt is still changing the taste of my world.
Thought for day 261 – Sermon on the Mount – Friday Sept. 17, 2021
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
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How does my light help anyone? What do that would light up someone else? How can my little luminary give light to the whole world? Why would anyone show any interest toward my little flicker amid the great bonfires in our culture? Does it really matter if I hide this little glimmer away for my own little personal use? Jesus, tell me more! Tell me the reason for my little candle. The world is so large, does it really need my little ember of light?
With these words I am become uncomfortable in my spot on the grassy hillside. I must shift a little closer to hear the words, to understand.
There is darkness in the world. There is a need of my candle no matter how small, no matter how weak. He is telling me that the light that I gently nurture is not for me. The light is not for my own edification. Light is to be revealed. Light has a purpose. To be seen by others and the glory goes to God. My little faint flicker of light is for God’s glory. OK I can go along with that. My place on the hillside is a now more comfortable.
Thought for day 262 – Sermon on the Mount – Saturday Sept. 18, 2021
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world.
You are! I am! At that moment on the now trodden down grassy hill, Jesus was proclaiming to his followers, including me, I am something. I am something now, presently, not promised someday, but in the present. I don’t need any more preaching. I don’t need more teaching. I don’t need another book to read or devotional to digest: I AM NOW. I am the salt of the earth, I am the light of the world. I have assumed the position without merit or effort. My fellow followers were what God wanted them to be at that moment.
The only choice we have is what we do with responsibility. How do I make my salt tasteless and my light hidden? I must know. My citizenship of the Kingdom of depends upon it. I must take a step backward and recap the last two of the Blessed are yours: persecution and lies. Both are beyond being. Both are how I react to negative things in my life. Salt becoming tasteless and light being hidden must be associated with my reaction to things in my life that are negative. Tasteless salt and hidden light is about my wrong reactions to lies, persecution and insults. It is what people see in me when I react to tough things.
When things go bad, I want to lash out, to voice it, to dwell on it. And everyone around me sees and feels that terribleness coming out of me. My reaction to difficult times makes my salt stateless and my light hidden. Worthless and useless.
LORD, please remind me again and again to keep my salt salty and my light obvious when hard times would prompt me to grumble and lash out.
Thought for day 263 – Sermon on the Mount – Sunday Sept. 19, 2021
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world…”
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The world that we know is in turmoil. I am in a black room with no window or door. I try to bring figure it out. I have tried philosophy to understand why I am in this room. I have tried psychology to determine my thinking process of living in a dark place. I have tried education to learn enough to know all the characteristics of the blackness. Medicine has no hope to lighten my room it only lengthens my lives in this blackness. Drugs to enlighten our surroundings create shadows, but they do not last. Politics do not seem to help; they have no program of support for the dark. I can depend upon myself with a humanistic outlook and say “to thine oneself be true”, but it is still black. I can feel for the sides of the room and slid down the wall and give up. Agnosticism in a dark room says there is nothing more. A realist would say, “what is, is.”
The only answer to the world’s bewilderment of total blackness is Jesus. Any other answer is simply darkness.
Thought for day 264 – Sermon on the Mount – Monday Sept. 20, 2021
Matthew 5:3,5,8,9,10 Kingdom words.
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Wait, hold on Jesus, let’s take a reality check moment. Could you tell me again what this Kingdom is? A quick recap of the sermon so far is needed. There seems to be theme here: kingdom of heaven, inherit the earth, seeing God, sons of God, kingdom of heaven again. What does that all mean? The guy over on the third row seems to think it is about the political, setting up of a new earthly Kingdom with God in charge. The guy next to me seems to think it is about overthrowing the Romans. The smart dressed one in front of me seems to think if everyone would get their act together, we will have 1,000 years of peace. Most of my fellow grass sitters see the Kingdom as a day in the far future where history comes to a close and it is over with a big bang and the Messiah will return.
What is this kingdom you keep reminding us of? Peter over there on the first row and in the middle seems to think it is about a community identity. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, declaring the praises of God who calls us out of this dark world into his wonderful light. He thinks that once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. (I Peter 2:9-10). Kingdom is mercy. I get it now. I am a part of it because God knew I needed to be a part.
Thought for day 265 – Sermon on the Mount – Tuesday Sept. 21, 2021
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
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The concept of law is a common theme throughout the Bible. From the Code of Hammurabi until now, laws have been made and broken. There have been times when I have bent the law a little. My grassy hillside rest is governed by law. It dictates how I live. There are laws, codified restrictions, which regulate my life. It tells me what is right and what is not so right. So, when Jesus tells me that He came not to eliminate all these binding cords of my life, I shrug and give an accepting nod. I can rest for a moment because my new Rabbi is not antagonistic toward law. He was not advocating rebellion or anarchy. My beloved law is safe. The law would stand forever.
But He did not stop there. “I came to fulfill the law.” I respond under my breath to my neighbor with an incredulous, “What did the Rabbi say?”
The teacher was saying to me and all the others on that grassy hillside, that all tradition and laws which have regulated my life are now tied up in something else. The law was not a separate iconoclastic monolith. The law did not stand aloof and rigid. All the law is intertwined in my teacher. Jesus in a simple statement had changed the unchangeable. In that instant, Jesus changed the law from a static and unbend able thing into the one of humanity and caring. From constricted actions to a motivation of the inner man. The law is no longer without sight or feeling. The law fulfilled Jesus.
Thought for day 266 – Sermon on the Mount – Wednesday Sept. 22, 2021
Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!”
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Jesus had just personalized the law. He had moved from a constrictive negative to a liberating positive. I have strained most of my life to understand the law. To see the broad strokes off life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I have been instructed from qualified teachers that the law was set up to protect me. To give me a safe and secure life. The law prevented anarchy. Nevertheless, some laws are simply strange.
In California it is illegal for a woman to drive a car in a house coat. Homeowners in San Diego can be fined $250 for leaving Christmas lights up after February 2nd. In Long Beach, it is prohibited to put anything other than cars in a garage. In Blythe, you are only permitted to wear cowboy boots if you own at least two cows. It is also illegal to drive in reverse in Glendale. It is against the law to have more than two cats or dogs in San Jose. And don’t get me started about the laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
And here Jesus was saying, not one of the existing laws would ever go away. They will be on the books until the end of all things. Perhaps Jesus was trying to explain that when laws are ignored and broken as if they did not exist, it is a sign that the end is near. So, if you see someone bowling on the sidewalk in Chico, California, it is someone telling you the end is near.
Thought for day 267 – Sermon on the Mount – Thursday Sept. 23, 2021
Matthew 5:19,20 “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
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But Lord, how about all the strange laws and commands of the Torah? Remember the one about fabric made of two kinds of fiber in Leviticus. Does that make my comfortable polyester cotton blend shirt a sin? How about the vineyard down the road that plants roses at the end of each row, doesn’t that break the law about planning two kinds of seeds together? I can’t afford to take a year off every seven. If I can opt out of these, can I also do the same for “you shall not steal”?
What is wrong with the logic of saying, “God said it, so I will do it”? I guess I must go beyond the memorization and minutia and see the big picture. I must discover the why behind constrained behavior. I must learn that I was not made just to keep the law, but the law was made to keep me. Man was not made for the sabbath but the sabbath was made for me.
Lord, show be the why of your will because occasionally I am confused. But that is OK, I will keep on listening and learning and most important being.
Thought for day 269 – Sermon on the Mount – Friday Sept. 24, 2021
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
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Righteousness is a difficult concept. There have always been law givers and lawyers. It is the lawyers like the Pharisees and the scribes that stand in front of the people and proclaim their righteousness. But inside is nothing more than dead man’s bones.
Yet righteousness seems to relate to the law, at least according to Jesus. Jesus does not teach anyone to ignore the instructions of the Old Testament. He makes it clear that keeping all the commandments like the lawyers of the time claimed to do, is not enough. There is more to it than that. The righteousness that God desires can not be achieved by a rote following of the rules and regulations. Righteousness keeping a list of “not to do” thing is wholly inadequate. The righteousness that Jesus is providing comes from an inward change beginning with following, faith, and repentance.
My righteousness is developed through genuine love and submission to Jesus. True righteousness only comes from God. The entrance fee into the kingdom of Heaven is small, just a willingness to accept, but the subscription fee for remaining is everything.
Thought for day 270 – Sermon on the Mount – Saturday Sept. 25, 2021
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
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Most of the hill setters listening to Jesus could not read Hebrew. It was the ancient language of their ancestors and only used in the temple as a kind of special language. The common people spoke Aramaic. It was a language from the captor’s way back in the exile of the nations in Babylonia. Aramaic and Hebrew had a common base, but they simply did not sound the same. The law was passed down by the teachings of the Scribes and the Pharisees. The people were dependent upon the “keepers of the law” to read to them the prescriptions of life. Along with the reading would come the interpretations and traditions. For the regular man it was impossible to differentiate between the pure law and the lawyer added traditions. The way these special class groups taught was a problem.
They were teaching the law as if it was a purely a physical act to be fulfilled in a physical way. There was no beating heart. There was no place for mercy or grace or love. Lawyer teaching was confined to actions and consequences. They were careful with their actions, but their attitudes were terrible.
What they missed was any action, deed, or effort, no matter how lofty is worthless without the inner attitude. God ignores good things when the attitude stinks.
Thought for day 271 – Sermon on the Mount – Sunday Sept. 26, 2021
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A self-righteous Pharisee went up to the temple with all his robes, tassels, ceremonial head piece, a copy of the law in one hand and righteous indignation in the other. And for all to hear and see, he proclaimed, “Oh Father, I thank you I am not like other men, for I fast, I pray, I am special.” At the same time a self-proclaimed sinner came to the temple wearing what he lived in. He did not even lift his eyes toward heaven but with a bowed head he beat his chest and said, “Oh God be merciful to me a sinner.”
One went away justified and forgiven and the other was ignored. The first guy, who in all his finery and proper metered lifestyle, was unnoticed by God. His prayer meant nothing. The Pharisee was interpreting the law the in a wrong way. That God only saw the outward actions and never the attitudes behind them. For a lawyer of the Hebrew law, it was about outward acts and not spirit of it all.
Lord, renew in me the spirit of life, restore my spirit.
Thought for day 272 – Sermon on the Mount – Monday Sept. 27, 2021
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
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Jesus’ talk on the hillside has now turned into a full-fledged sermon. The introduction is done and now he is making comparisons between the righteousness of the lawyers and the righteousness of belief.
Jesus was suggesting a contrast between the men of old, the traditionalists and the living Law of Jesus. The issue at hand was simply a transformation of the simple law of Moses into thousands of interpretations and suppositions. Moses had started it with all other laws and restrictions following the ten big ones. But the Pharisees and the scribes depended upon traditions which had supplanted God’s standards. This complexity and clarification made it impossible for anyone to receive justice without a lawyer. For the Pharisees the courts were not about individual rights but more a vehicle of retribution. A leveling of the scales. For the lawyer class the emphasis was on punishment.
Lord, I don’t need any more punishment for my indiscretions, failures, short-comings, and sin. I don’t need someone to use trickery and tradition to overcome my guilt. I need the forgiveness and restoration only you give.
Thought for day 273 – Sermon on the Mount – Tuesday Sept. 28, 2021
Matthew 5:21,22 – 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
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To those on the Hill of learning, Jesus plucks the seventh command given by God to Moses on Sinai. It is one of the six compare and contrast points of murder, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge and love. Each in turn reinforces the differences between the law of the lawyers and the law of Jesus. The law was the same it just was viewed differently. The lawyers it as an intellectual exercise, and Jesus as an opportunity to restore.
First murder, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder’.” To the lawyers, “To kill someone is to lose your own life or liberty.” The process must be served. Retribution must be made. If you did not go through with the act of murder, all the things that lead up a murder were acceptable. The law said it was permissible to plot, to proclaim injustice whether it was true or not, to insult someone, to tear down a reputation with malice, to call someone a fool. Here Jesus went on to explain even these precursors to murder were just as sinful.
There are two options: first to go to the courts and plead your case or second fall upon the mercy of God. I will take the path less traveled. I fall upon my unworthiness and ask for righteousness, and I will be granted grace.
Thought for day 274 – Sermon on the Mount – Wednesday Sept. 29, 2021
Matthew 5:23-27 “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last dollar.”
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I learned early in my studies of the Bible that every time you found a “therefore”, I must stop and completely understand why the “therefore” is there for.
Jesus was teaching about murder, the willful taking of a life for your own gain or reason. But he went on to explain murder itself, while a bad thing and sinful, the character, attitude and willfulness which proceeds murder are also important to realize and deal with.
We sit at the feet of Jesus on that grassy hillside and with these words we look around. I see Tom over on the back row and I really dislike him. My dislike has caused a grand chasm between us. It has spoiled my joy. Every time I try and offer up my reasonable service of worship, this chasm is placed between me and my Lord. Sometimes it is easier just to ignore the situation. But it is still there. In my mind I blame him for the distance.
Jesus goes right for the issue. It is not murder of someone that keeps me away, it is my unwillingness to reconcile. I seem to think my pain is worth something. I seem to relish my moments of righteous indignation. And Jesus looks deeply at my pain and tells me to give it up. My relationship with my separated brother is more important than my offering.
Thought for day 275 – Sermon on the Mount – Thursday Sept. 30, 2021
Matthew 5:27-30 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
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Like murder, adultery is the final fruit of wrong thoughts and uncontrolled feelings. The eye sees all the wonders around me. Chastity of a woman’s dress has nothing to do with it. I see and I imagine. My eye fills my mind. My mind desires and the body reacts. The seer to the last Tsar in Russia was a wild-eyed predictor of the future. He believed that God wanted him to sin so that God could have something to forgive. He wanted everything he saw. He coveted, he desired, he did everything he could to persuade and coax the object to submit to his wanton desires. Rasputin said the whole world would be like him someday.
The secrets of the heart, and the movements of the eye are just as sinful as the act. Jesus simply was stating the obvious. If you have a vision problem pushing you toward the sinful act, then you must do whatever it takes to stop the source of the desire. Any vision other than the pure vision of God is more than a distraction, it is a path to the bad place.