Tag Archives: Jesus

Day 15: Good in Spite of Evil

Genesis 36-37; Matthew 12:1-21

Key Verses

Genesis 37:28
And they [his brothers] drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

Matthew 12:18
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”

The deaths of Rachel and Isaac in Genesis 35 and the settling of Esau away from his brother in Genesis 36 mark the end of Jacob’s story. The narrative now turns toward Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph. Joseph’s story will continue to the end of Genesis – making it the longest narrative in the book.

Joseph has been a great source of comfort to me since my daughter’s accident. Joseph is one of the few characters in the bible who suffers greatly and also learns the reason for the suffering before his death. If you look at the sweeping narrative of Joseph’s story, you see God’s hand orchestrating each circumstance so that Joseph would be used to save the whole family of Israel, and therefore, preserve the lineage from which the promised savior would come.

We’ll walk through his story slowly over the next week – savoring each detail – as we also look forward to Jesus’ life as portrayed in Matthew.

Genesis 37 introduces us to Joseph. His father loved him, but his brothers were jealous of his preferential treatment and they hated him. The hate intensified as Joseph shared his dreams with his family… dreams of him ruling over his brothers and father. These dreams provoked Joseph’s brothers to conspire to kill him. Reuben and Judah, however, convinced their brothers not to shed blood, so instead they sold Joseph to slave traders making their way to Egypt.

Who gave Joseph these dreams? This is an important question because it was the dreams that pushed the brothers to such an evil act. But we learn later, that it was imperative that Joseph go to Egypt – for it was only from Egypt that Joseph could save the family. Joseph had no idea of his destiny. He only knew his present – that he would probably be separated from his family for his lifetime – serving as a slave in Egypt. That’s quite a sad turn in Joseph’s life, but we will see that God was with Joseph every step of the way… God was with Joseph in Egypt.

But let’s turn to look at what Jesus is up to in Matthew’s reading for there are parallels to Joseph’s predicament. Jesus was not conforming to the strict Sabbath laws of the Pharisees. The Pharisees hated Jesus for this – for Jesus spoke truth to them and said, “the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).

This intensified the Pharisee’s anger and we read in vs. 14 that “the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

In both cases, God used the anger and jealousy in the hearts of men as a piece in his master-plan. God’s will will not be thwarted! This is a good reminder for me as it is easy to lose sight of God’s goodness in the midst of mass killings, extreme poverty, and innocent war casualties. Not much has changed since Joseph’s time. God still has a plan, and despite the evilness in this world, his good plan will come to pass!

Day 13: A Humble Messenger

Matthew 11

Key Verses

Matthew 11:25-26
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

Yesterday we touched briefly on the surprising group of men Jesus chose to be his disciples. The fact is: Jesus wasn’t what anybody expected the Messiah to be.

The Jews expected the Messiah to be a political king and save them from the tyrannous rule of Rome. They expected him to be a strong, military leader – not a poor humanitarian with a rag-tag group of followers.

Even John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was really the Messiah (11:3). Jesus patiently answered John’s questions by referring back to the Messianic prophecies from Isaiah.

Jesus warned that this world would naturally not understand (11:16-19). And he went so far as to denounce the cities in which he’d preached for rejecting Him and his message (11:20-24).

But.

He went on to say something remarkable. It could be so familiar that it’s lost its impact. But the idea is otherworldly. He revealed that God hid understanding of His Kingdom from the wise – but revealed it to children (11:25). Jesus was not speaking in physical terms, but spiritually. In other words, He taught that you must have a child-like faith to hear, understand and receive His teachings. Then Jesus offered an invitation – but only to the humble of heart…

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

These words are like a balm to the weary. Could Jesus really be that gentle? Could he be that kind? Hear the good news. Listen with child-like faith and find rest for your tired soul!

Day 12: A Surprising Choice

Genesis 29-30; Matthew 10

Key Verses

Genesis 29:31
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Genesis continues with more family drama, and this story seems especially sad to me. But God, in his wisdom, knows how to bring good out of our hardships. He does this for Leah in today’s reading.

If you don’t know the story from Genesis 29, you must read it. It’s filled with bitter irony, as Jacob (the cheat) met his match in his Uncle Laban. Laban, agreed to let Jacob marry his younger daughter, Rachel (who was beautiful and whom Jacob loved) after SEVEN years of labor. After the seven, long years, the big wedding day approached and Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah (who wasn’t as beautiful as Rachel). Jacob didn’t love Leah. After a week, Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too – but only if Jacob agreed to work another seven years. “And he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years” (Genesis 29:30).

This sets the stage for a bitter sister-rivalry. But God was kind to Leah… “When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren (Genesis 29:31).”

Jacob chose Rachel, but God chose Leah.

Leah’s 4th son, Judah (whose name sounds like “praise”) continues the lineage of Christ.

Why Leah? Why Judah? We see throughout Scripture that God often chooses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary.

One of the best examples is found in Matthew 10 as Jesus appoints his disciples. Jesus didn’t choose powerful, influential men. Just look at the list of disciples in Matthew 10:2-4… They are not just ordinary; in some cases, they are lower than ordinary. Fishermen, a tax collector, a radical zealot are not the types we would choose to lead the largest religious movement in history. But God loves to surprise us.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Day 10: The Healer

Matthew 9

Key Verses

Matthew 9:6
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.

This is another chapter filled predominantly with scenes of Jesus’ healings. Which leads me to a question…

Why doesn’t Jesus heal the way He healed when He walked the earth? Have you ever tried to count how many people He healed in the gospels? He heals 6 people in this chapter alone! When you consider sweeping statements like “He went from town to town healing and teaching,” we can surmise that one of Jesus’ primary acts on earth was to heal. Why did He do it then and not now? We all have stories of people dying from cancer, struggling with a chronic illness, suffering from a disability. Why doesn’t GOD HEAL??!!!

I have an answer. It’s actually a very satisfying answer. I learned it from Nancy Guthrie, author of Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow. The answer is found in the story of the Paralytic…

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men (Matthew 9:2-8).

My gut reaction to this story is usually disappointment – which reveals my lack of understanding. I tend to think, “How in the world does forgiving his sins help this poor paralyzed man? I want to shout, “HEAL HIM! DON’T FORGIVE HIM!” Oh, how wrong I am…

My daughter, Anne, suffers from a severe traumatic brain injury. If God came to me and gave me a choice…  “Would you rather me heal Anne spiritually so she’ll live forever in heaven with a perfect body? Or would you rather Anne be healed physically, right now, but knowing that she wouldn’t be able to go to heaven?” Well, I would choose for Anne to be whole in heaven.

Jesus healed on earth to give us a physical representation – a word picture of sorts – of how he heals us spiritually. When we have a saving faith, we are healed for all eternity. Our current bodies are broken and temporal. Sometimes He heals us physically and sometimes He doesn’t. But really, God cares more about our eternity with Him than our ease and comfort on this earth. God knows the TRUE, BIG picture which we don’t see clearly…

Sometimes, God chooses not to heal because when we are broken physically, we are better able to see our spiritual brokenness. Jesus says in this chapter,

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means,  …I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

God loves the broken-hearted, and the humble in spirit. He must have seen this brokenness in Matthew – as He called him to be a disciple and chose to dine at his house (Matthew 9:9-11). Matthew, a hated tax collector, turned to Jesus as his only hope. Jesus lifted him out of his hateful, lonely lifestyle and gave him a new heart with a new purpose and hope. He does the same for me. And he does the same for my daughter, Anne. Why? He is the healer!

Day 9: The Promise Continues

Genesis 23-24; Matthew 8

Key Verses

Genesis 24:7
The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.”

Matthew 8:16-17
That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Yesterday, we saw the small beginnings of God fulfilling His two-fold promise of legacy and land to Abraham… Isaac was born and Abraham bought a well.

In today’s reading, we see Abraham purchase a full-fledged plot of land (in Canaan, of course) that contains a cave in which to bury his wife, Sarah. We also read of the miraculous way in which God provides a wife for Isaac. Rebekah is kind-hearted and full of faith. She is a good wife for Isaac. God’s promise to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars and to give them the land of Canaan continues to unfold…

It’s fun to fast-forward in history to Matthew 8 where we see Jesus in action. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all of God’s promises. In this chapter, we read several stories of Jesus’ healings… First the leper, then the centurion’s servant, then Peter’s mother-in-law.

There is a scene painted in just one sentence that boggles my mind. Jesus is in the home of Peter and…

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick (Matthew 8:16).

Can you imagine the flurry of people scampering to Jesus to be healed? I would have been one of them. I would have done anything, anything, to get my brain-injured daughter in front of Jesus. I would have bowed low and begged him to heal my daughter. I know, because I do this every day.

In the very next verse, Matthew refers back to Isaiah’s prophecy of the Servant:

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4).

Just as he showed compassion to the crowds and healed their diseases, He has borne my grief and carried my sorrow. Even though He has chosen not to heal my brain-injured daughter immediately, he is still healing her – very slowly. Waiting on God builds godly character, and ultimately the healing of our souls is infinitely more important than the healing of our bodies. But we’ll talk more about that tomorrow :-)

Day 7: The meticulous, kindness of God

Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6

Key Verses

Genesis 18:19
“For I have chosen [Abraham], that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

Matthew 6:33-34
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

For the last few days, Matthew’s readings have been from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ sermon makes me very uncomfortable.

Jesus takes the Old Testament law – which was barely attainable – and makes it completely out of reach.

  • Old Testament says: Don’t kill anyone. Okay, I can manage that.
  • Jesus says: Don’t get angry at anyone because you’re committing murder in your heart. Uhhhh. That’s impossible.

Ahhh… the heart. Jesus is shining a magnifying glass on the state of the heart. Ultimately, He wants good actions to flow from the righteousness of the heart as opposed to performing good works to mask the darkness of the heart. Jesus wants us to be convicted… so we will turn to Him to do what we cannot do – NOT change our hypocritical behavior, but change trust Jesus to change our hearts.

Genesis 18 is the story of the Lord visiting Abraham and again promising him a son through Sarah. This time, however, many years have passed (since Abraham first heard the promise), and Sarah is past the age of child-bearing. Sarah overhears the promise and laughs, and God answers…

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Changing Sarah’s anatomy to open her womb was an easy task compared to changing the darkness of a sinful heart. But I ask you… “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Indeed, nothing is too hard for our God!

For me, this change has happened slowly… moment by moment, choice by choice, so that after years have passed, I can look back and see the slow work of grace in my life. The more God changes my heart from dark to light, my eyes are opened to even more darkness that resides in me. God is merciful and only shows me what will not send me into despair. For if I saw too much at once, I would become hopeless, and lose heart. God is meticulously kind. Thank God.

A great example of His meticulous kindness is seen in his conversation with Abraham about saving the city of Sodom (Genesis 18:22-33). On first glance, it seems like Abraham is negotiating with God, but a pastor explained the passage the opposite way…. God is meticulously expanding Abraham’s heart to be more compassionate.

Abraham: would you destroy the city if you found 50 righteous men?
God: No. I will save the city for 50 righteous men.
Abraham: How about 45?
40?
30?
20?
10?

God conforms Abraham’s heart to be closer to His own. He makes Abraham more compassionate. He does it slowly. He does it meticulously. He does it kindly.

Day 5: The Poor in Spirit

Genesis 12-14; Matthew 5:1-26

Key Verses

Genesis 12:2-3
“…I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

God’s promise to Abraham in the beginning of Genesis 12 is God’s covenant promise to set apart a people that bear His name. God has kept his promise…all the families of the earth have been blessed – through Jesus, who is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham!

In Matthew, we see Jesus clarifying what it means to be “blessed.” He opens with “blessed are the poor in spirit,” which at first glance, doesn’t seem to be a “blessing.” But Jesus is defining what “blessed” looks like in God’s kingdom, not man’s. This is the first blessing in a list of “Beatitudes.” It’s important to note that the Beatitudes are not a list of qualifications to enter God’s kingdom, but rather a list of characteristics that are bestowed to Kingdom citizens – they come from the transforming work of the Spirit. In other words, it is impossible to possess the blessings of the beatitudes apart from faith in Christ.

Abraham was learning first hand what it meant to be “poor in spirit.” In today’s reading, we see Abraham at the height of faithfulness (when he moved his entire household down to the land God would show him) and in the depths of sin (when he lied to Pharaoh and endangered his wife).

In Genesis 14, after Abraham had secured a great victory in war (in heroic Braveheart style!), and was returning home with much spoil, he met a mysterious King. He was called priest of God most High (vs. 14:18). The writer of Hebrews identified this King as a forerunner of Christ (Heb 7). This King, named Melchizedek, challenges my “Braveheart” image as he reminds me that Abraham only found success in battle because of God. Melchizedek said to Abraham,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

Melchizedek reminded Abraham that he was poor in spirit. He had nothing within himself to offer to God. His greatest triumphs both in battle and in faithfulness came from God, alone. Like Abraham, I am poor in spirit. I have nothing to offer Jesus, and he calls me blessed because of it. This is amazing grace!

Day 4: Family Ties

Genesis 9-11; Matthew 4

Key Verses:

Genesis 9:8-11
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you […] I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Matthew 4:23
And [Jesus] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Genesis 9 echoes the creation story of Genesis 1-3. As the earth emerges from the flood waters, it’s as if God has performed a re-creation. He gives the same mandate to Noah and his sons as he gave to Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” God establishes a covenant with Noah and all creatures of the earth – that He will never destroy the earth by flood. God’s promises are good. His promises are true!

Despite God’s goodness to Noah, Noah follows in the way of Adam and Eve as he makes a sinful choice in Genesis 9:21. Just as God cursed Adam and Eve after their sinful choice, curses flow after Noah’s sinful choice …but so do blessings.

Noah curses his son, Ham, but blesses Shem. As we read forward to Genesis 10, we see even more genealogy, and that Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham) is a descendant of Shem (11:26). Noah is in the family line of Jesus! The royal seed goes through Noah to Shem to Abraham. God is preserving the family line of the promised one! He is fulfilling his covenant promises to his people!

Matthew 1 also traces Jesus’s family line all the way back to Abraham. In today’s reading, Matthew 4, we see the promised offspring of the woman, the one who will crush the serpent, face the same tempter. Jesus is the new Adam, but unlike the original Adam, He overcomes and does not sin. Instead of curses… there are blessings, and we, His people, are the benefactors!! This is good news. This is the gospel.

Day 3: What Good is the Flood?

Genesis 6-8; Matthew 3

Key Verses:

Genesis 3:5-6
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Matthew 3:16
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Genesis 6-8 is the story of the flood. The idea of God destroying the earth causes me to wrestle… really wrestle with God’s goodness. I’ve struggled to see how God’s goodness is revealed in destroying every living thing on the earth (except those few on the ark). Seriously, what good is the flood?

I believe God has patiently endured my questioning and given me not just one, but several glimpses of his goodness in this passage of Scripture.

  • Firstly, I believe God gave the world the opportunity to repent and be saved. Think about it… It took Noah and his sons a VERY long time to build that ark. Scholars debate on the specifics, but it was somewhere between 75-100 years of building. Don’t you think news would have spread about this crazy guy building this humongous boat? Don’t you think Noah tried to warn people of the coming flood? They had a chance to repent, believe and be saved… But they didn’t. And they perished.
  • Secondly, (and this is a hard one for me) every living thing deserved to be destroyed. The bible says “every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God showed his grace by preserving a remnant.
  •  Thirdly, (and I love this) I see God’s tender, personal care for Noah and his family in verse 7:16, “And the Lord shut him in.” God, himself, shut the door to the arc and protected them from the deadly flood. He, personally, saved them.
  • And finally, Noah’s story is both a warning and a joyful proclamation to us. Just as those who were in the ark were saved from the flood… If we are found “in Christ” we will be saved from the judgment that is to come. God, in his mercy, warns repetitively throughout Scripture that there will be judgment for those who do not turn to Jesus for help. None of us are good enough to earn entrance into heaven. Jesus offers us a trade: we get his perfect record, and he gets our tarnished one. As a result, he received the punishment we deserve, and we get the reward that only he deserves. This is good news. This is the gospel.

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Day 2: The Offspring of the Woman

Genesis 3-5; Matthew 2

Key Verses:

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Matthew 2:13-14
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.

To me, Genesis 3 is the saddest chapter in the entire bible. Adam and Eve’s disobedience destroyed their relationship with God. Their sinful choice had far-reaching consequences as every human is now separated from God because of sin. But God had a rescue plan…

Immediately after Adam and Eve made their selfish choice, God delivered a shocking promise – that a descendent of the woman would defeat the serpent. This promise acts as a backdrop for the rest of the Old Testament. Imagine the serpent’s response to such a promise! Satan’s goal from that point forward was to destroy the offspring of the woman who was destined to crush his head. In fact, the entire Old Testament can be read as a story of a battle between Satan and God – of Satan trying to destroy the royal family line and God working to preserve the family line from which Jesus would be born.

In Genesis 4, we see this royal line threatened as Cain killed Abel and Cain walked away from God. Who would carry the seed of the woman forward? But God’s plan was always that Jesus would not descend from Cain or Abel. God gave Adam and Eve a third son, Seth, and it was from him that the promised royal offspring would come!

In today’s New Testament reading, we see the promised offspring (Jesus!) in danger of being killed by the evil king, Herod. But God was not thwarted by the plans of an evil king. He warned Joseph in a dream to escape south to Egypt until the threat had passed.

God’s plan of redemption could not – and will not – be overcome by the serpent. Jesus was born! Jesus was crucified. And Jesus will come again!