Matthew 7 Judging Others

In chapter seven, Jesus pursues my attitude toward others once again. Like John, I get to the moment of giving it all to God, and my next thought is, "What about him?" (John 20) I do my good deeds, I do them in secret, and then I notice that others are not choosing my high standards. Jesus in His infinite wisdom follows my psychological pattern of depravity.

So, He tells me "Stop judging others!" (7:1) Inevitably, when I make up a game, I invent rules that favor my own strengths. So it is when I compare myself to others. I see specks in the eyes of others, and ignore the plank in my own eye. I think I even want to help others, but I can't do it when I have a blind spot of my own.

Perhaps the core of this nugget is in verse 12: "Do for others what [I] would like to have them do for [me]." I can't know what they want, and it's not enough to just not do them harm. But if I treat others with the kind of grace that I would like to have offered to me, I have gone a long way down the road of true worship. When I drop a ball, I don't want to be yelled at. When I have a flaw that irritates or offends others, I want to be told lovingly by someone I trust is on my side. I want to be trusted beyond my trustworthiness and loved above my loveliness.

LORD, thank You for loving me unconditionally in Christ Jesus. Make me like You.
-ker

Matthew 6 The Other Side of Public Deeds: Secret Deeds

In the last chapter, Jesus had just said how important it is to do good deeds before men. But throughout this chapter, our Lord addresses the matter of perfecting our inner motives. WHY do I want to do good that would be noticed by others? To glorify my Father? Or, do I begin to want to be admired? For this respectaholic, I know the answer. Very quickly I slip into hypocrisy, doing deeds for show. So, Jesus says "Be careful!"

Take care, He says, about giving alms. Give secretly. Pray secretly, not for public show. (I well understand how much easier it is to stay on task when praying out loud with others. But I have a tendency to step over the line in my motives and offer deeper, longer prayers in front of others to gain their respect.) Fast secretly.

I cannot expect to win the approval of both God and of men. Wow, that's a puzzle. I so much want both. But the Pharisees did, too, and Jesus says that all of their reward was the respect they gained on earth. So, if I can't have both, which will I choose? Will I choose to be a professional Christian, a public lead worshiper, a man with a holy reputation? Or given the choice, will I choose to secretly please my Father?

LORD, today I want to make my choice. You alone.

Matthew 5 Worship is as Worship Does

How do I glorify God? If I do good deeds before other people, they will see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven (5:16). The other bookend to this chapter is the call for me to "be perfect, as [my] Father in heaven is perfect." (5:48)

When I get right down to it, it's not what I believe about God, or what I say to God that brings Him glory. It's how I live before Him.

Matthew 5 Reaction to Enemies: Islam versus Christ

Christians have killed Muslims over the years, and Muslims have killed Christians. Nothing happening today is new. But what was the difference between what the founders said about treatment of enemies?

Mohammed wrote in the Quran that Muslims were to conquer Christian nations and rule over Christians. If anyone converts from Islam to Christianity, they are to be physically punished, and put to death if they do not recant. In the end times, the Muslims are to declare jihad against infidels (compromised Christians) and conquer the world, successfully setting up an Islamic state. Mohammed rode into Mecca on a horse, carrying a sword, and his followers have imitated both his behavior and his instructions ever since.

Compare that to some of Jesus' statements about enemies from Matthew 5: "Blessed are the meek and lowly," "Blessed are the merciful," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "You are blessed when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers." (Notice that He doesn't give instruction about mocking or persecuting, but rather receiving the abuse.) "Come to terms quickly with your enemy." Jesus came to Jerusalem on a donkey, knowing that He would be crucified there.

Now, which leader would you rather follow? Which one seems to really know about heaven and how it relates to life on earth? Whose follower would you rather live next door to? I know my choice!
-ker

Matthew 4 More insights on worship of Jesus.

The fourth chapter of Matthew's gospel also yields some insights on what it means to worship, and why Jesus is worthy of our worship. Consider the following: Satan asks "if" Jesus is the Son of God (or it can be translated "since" He is), He should perform some self-serving signs. But Jesus is consistent with His character, showing that He is Lord and is above negotiating with an inferior enemy (4:3,6). The last and greatest temptation that the Devil throws at Him is to bow down and worship him. But Jesus remembers the word that Israel is to worship God and to serve Him only (4:8-10). Worship without service is empty. Jesus fulfills Scripture that the people living in darkness see a great light (4:16). He is the Light of the World. He calls people to repent (4:17), and to leave and follow Him (4:20,22).

So we see that Jesus is Lord, that He does not sin, that He worships and serves His Father, that worship without service is empty, that He is the Light of the World, that we worship by turning from sin, leaving our old lives and following Him. Amen!

Matthew 1-3 The Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of worship!

Reading through the first three chapters of Matthew's Gospel through the lens of worship causes me to see how worthy Jesus is of worship, and helps me to see what true worship is. Consider this: He is conceived by the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus (Jehovah is Salvation), for He will save His people from their sins. He is also called Emmanuel, which means God is with us (1:21-23). The wise men call Him the King of the Jews, and they come to worship Him (2:2). He is born is Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy that He is shepherd and ruler of Israel (2:6). Herod feigns to worship Him (2:8), but the wise men travel, fall down and worship, and give Him gifts (2:11). He is called a Nazarene to fulfill prophecies of being despised (2:23). John's message is to repent and make His paths straight, calling Him Lord (3:2-3). He says that listeners must prove their repentance by their lives (3:8). He says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (3:11-12), and that he is not worthy to baptize Jesus (3:14). After Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, God calls Him His Son and says that He is very pleased with Him (3:16-17).

Jesus truly is Lord of heaven and earth, and we are called to worship Him with our actions. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
-ker