Matthew 9:35-10:15
The crowd gathers. They’ve heard that Jesus can do amazing things. The lame walk. The blind see. The dead are raised. The possessed are set free. Healings. Miracles. They’ve come to Him.
Jesus looks at them. Does He resent their coming or wanting quick fixes? No. Does He send them away with the invitation to come back when they’ve figured life out? No.
Jesus looks at them and sees who they really are: “confused and helpless.” Other renderings describe them as harassed, distressed, dispirited, dejected and bewildered.
Jesus looks at them—at us—and has compassion. The Shepherd has come.And we sheep—remembering we once, too, were lost—can offer His compassion to those who’ve yet to be found.
Lord Jesus, help me to remember...
Mary Pierce
2 comments:
Thank you for your comments, Mary.
I was struck by a familiar passage this morning. Jesus said, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few." I've heard it so many times, but I still seem to be convinced that the harvest is scarce. It seems many of us feel like we often pray that God would increase the harvest. But Jesus says to pray for workers.
God is at work among us. He is planting seed and nurturing growth. He's calling us to go, with others, to find the fruit he's producing and bring it in.
God works through us to plant the seed, too; I'm sure. But it's interesting that Jesus' command here is to trust God for more workers and not for more fruit. The fruit is being prepared. He needs more workers to find the fruit he's produced.
I think the 2nd half of this passage is interesting also. So often Christ is portrayed as just pure acceptance of all people. Yet when He tells his disciples to go into towns to heal people etc. He has specific instructions. They are not to enter towns of the gentiles or Samaritans,not to leave their peace in a house that does not deserve it etc. What is even more important-- if the place rejects them they are to get out of the area and shake the dust of the place from thier sandals. Jesus ends by saying whoa to that place. This does not reflect the secular view of the all-tolerant God that new age churches promote. It shows Christ drawing a line about rejection of Him. Which calls us to be reminded once again how important acceptance of Christ is. The scoffers are in trouble as are the fence sitters, the ones who are weak in their faith, the ones who have no time for worship,or God in their life or who never read a word of the Bible but are sure they know who "their god is" according to them. Which goes along with what is said in the first part of this reading for today-- the workers are needed to keep the word alive and out there before all people in its ENTIRE truth and not just partial plucking from the Bible. Jesus laid it on the line about acceptance and rejection many times as seen in previous passages this week. He laid it on the line with His life.
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