This is certainly late for those of you who might have been interested, but I was urged by someone to post this to the Blog page. Reading through the New Testament is not a difficult task as long as you keep at it on a daily basis.
This reading plan begins in Matthew and has daily readings Monday thru Friday, with weekends free.
I don't want you to miss the early sections of Matthew but if you can catch up later on.
This week, we're reading Matthew 14 (today), and then the rest of the week is this:
Tuesday, Matthew 15:1-20
Wednesday, Matthew 15:21-39
Thursday, Matthew 16
Friday, Matthew 17
Weekend, Matthew 18
If you want more, I am posting some thoughts also on Facebook. If you don't have Facebook and you'd like those daily "musings", send me a note and I'll email them to you. epollasch@gmail.com
Today's posting is below, and it's an example -
Reading through the New Testament in a year brings us to Matthew 14. Read it through and then think a bit about what is happening.
Some things to “muse” over.
Matthew 14 has three main events: The death of John the Baptist, the Feeding of 5000, and Jesus walking on the water in the storm and Peter’s attempt to do so also.
1. I’m struck by Jesus’ response to Herod’s lust-filled evil. He withdraws - a silent response. Remember, John, was his cousin, and one who was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. He had done that very thing, and now his life is ended by this evil ruler.
When Jesus gets wind of what happened to John, he withdraws. That’s something worth pondering on.
When Jesus gets wind of what happened to John, he withdraws. That’s something worth pondering on.
2. What Jesus does in the face of the news about John is to look out on a crowd of people and “have compassion on their need” (vs 14). The feeding of the 5000 is in all four of the Gospels. It happens because Jesus “sees them, and has compassion on them”. There’s a lesson in what happens. Read this section again:
Start with what you have. “All we have is five loaves and two fish - what can we do with that?” The other Gospel tells us it was a young lad who had this. God begins where we are and uses what we have.
Give what you have to Jesus. Jesus broke the bread and gave the pieces to the disciples, and they, in turn, fed the multitudes. It is God who “multiplies” what we have, not us. The old saying I remember from years ago: “Little is much when God is in it”.
Obey what He commands. The disciples had the people sit down as Jesus ordered. They took the broken pieces and distributed them, and discovered that there was plenty for everybody. When we give what we have, God will use it for his purposes.
3. The last part has two components. First Jesus “walks on the water” (vs 25). That in itself is a miracle from a human point of view. But, what I’m struck by is that Jesus came to them while they were in the storm. Jesus comes out to them while they struggle to move the boat along. They hear his words, “Do not be afraid, it is I”. Peter’s response is courageous and human. Jesus’ response to him is worth our thinking when we find ourselves in the “storms” of life. “Why did you doubt?”
We might find ourselves hearing that when we get to heaven. We look back and realize that the circumstances that overwhelmed us were sent by God to grow our faith and accomplish something in our lives we never could have happened without the storm.
Peace
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