Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Be Careful about IDEAS, not STUFF Matt 16:12
IDEAS vs. STUFF
Our beloved disciples are confused again.  Somebody carelessly forgot to bring bread.  They could have FAITHFULLY forgotten bread based on the feeding of the 4000 and 5000, but that is another story.

They emphasized and worried about their bellies and the stuff of life, rather than worry about the true, real, dangerous, scary, more unseen "leaven of the Pharisees".  It is later detailed as the TEACHING of these educated, faithful, devout religious leaders.  That is scary enough.  

Jesus does a little rebuking for forgetting their spiritual experiences with Him.  That is looking BACK.  Then, He warns that the REAL danger is not STUFF but the IDEAS and influence of the Pharisees.  SO, listen to Jesus today and let's BE CAREFUL OUT THERE (but about the right thing)

Nothin but the Sign of Jonah Matt 16:1
To the TESTING Pharisees Jesus says:  All you are going to get today is the SIGN OF JONAH.  What does that mean?

Certainly there is the three days in the belly of...Jesus will fulfill that shortly.  An example of one that meets that criteria.  But I think there is more that is particularly offensive to the Pharisees and us.

The Assyrians were monsters, and yet the Lord offered them repentance through Jonah.  Worse, they became a GOOD EXAMPLE of a needful people receiving the GRACE of the Lord's forgiveness.  This made Jonah mad.  This makes the Pharisees mad.  God is sovereign.  Maybe I don't like that either.  

Other signs of Jonah:  Lord Sees relentlessly.  There is no where to "hide" from His Presence.  We are accountable.  The Lord Cares about even the evil and helpless who don't know their right hand from their left.  

Listen and see if Jonah is talking about you today from 760BC!

Spitting + Sighing = Astonishment beyond Measure Mk 8:34
We've got great visuals and audios today.  We have Jesus Spitting and some fingers in the ears of a deaf man.  We have him cooperating with Jesus enough to HAVE HIS TONGUE TOUCHED.

Jesus speaks a word of healing to this man's infirmity.  But, before He does, He utters a SIGH as He LOOKS TO HEAVEN.  Something very significant is happening here.  

The healing is spiritual eye candy.  The Sighing and the Looking got me today.  Does anybody think our world is OK?  That Man is OK?  That Woman is OK? Our place is so broken it is SIGHABLE, beyond words.  Somebody's gotta help us.  Somebody's gotta rescue.  

Maybe Jesus is the ONE to help.  I could be ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE about that if it was true.  Listen and find out.

A crowd of 4000 men plus all the women and children bring their sick +1's to Jesus.  This goes on for 3 days and no one is eager to leave, apparently.  They perhaps brought snacks this time, but not 3 days worth and they are hungry and even FAINT.

The disciples...I cannot say what I want to say about them in polite podcast country...

Anyway, I was jealous of the 3 days of wonderment and stories.  But then I realized, I get a lifetime, and then another lifetime, and then another lifetime of a party like this.  It is called heaven.  I can't wait!  Listen and let's get a taste of it.

B-w-Me +1 = Wonderment Mt 15:30
I was gonna skip these three verses.  Shame on me.

The crowds come to participate in the "sit-down" miracles of Jesus.  But they don't come alone.  They bring a "PLUS 1".  They are the Lame, the crippled, the blind, the mute, AND OTHERS.  

First they consider who is their PLUS 1.  Then they BRING their PLUS 1.  Then they put them AT JESUS' FEET.  Then something happens.  Then they WONDER.  Then they WORSHIP.

Will you come?  Who might you bring with you?  Who is your +1?  Listen and consider today.  Let's end with wonder.  They did.  We should too.

Wrong place.
Wrong people group.
Wrong gender.

Right Lord.  Right posture.  Right approach.  Right request.  Right person.  Right wrestling.  Right retort.  Right respect.  Right engagement.

Join me as the Canaanite woman bows the the Lordship of Jesus in so many ways.  Watch as she basically says, "If you have just CRUMBS for me, I'LL TAKE CRUMBS!" 

There is something to be OFFENDED by says Jesus.  It is connected to your mouth.  Let's figure it out.

So there is a PHYSICAL anatomy.  Your MOUTH is connected to your "EXPELLER" by some tubes.  Yikes.  Yuk?  nope!  You should NOT be offended by this. 

So there is a SPIRITUAL anatomy.  Your MOUTH is connected to your HEART by some (spiritual) tubes.  Yikes.  Yuk?  Yup!  You SHOULD be OFFENDED by this.  Why?  Because you find some nasty stuff at the end of that tube.  Like what?  Evil Thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness.   We should all be very offended, very uncomfortable with the teaching today. As a friend says, "...I know a guy..."  He means himself.

So our lesson from Jesus in anatomy leads to OFFENSE and defilement.  What are we gonna do?  Listen and find out.

Jesus goes right for the jugular, I mean the heart.

He defines, in today's passage, what a "good heart" is and what is a "bad heart"  A good one is NEAR, as evidenced by elevating, and appropriately honoring his Word and commands.  A bad one is a heart that is FAR and elevates what I think, and my traditions think, over the Word.

It is a call and a smack if necessary, to stay close to His Word. It is a definition of what WORSHIP is=a heart that is CLOSE to God.  It is a check to our arguments against what God has made clear: "God has said but YOU say..." 
I Love that you are listening and moving your heart closer.

The Gospel is Offense. 
Many Turned back.
Do you want to go away as well?  (I suppose I do a little bit...)
Peter does the Math:  To what? To who? To where?

Peter puts his stake in the ground:  We have believed and come to know you are the holy one of God!!!!

Then he looks up after pounding his stake of belief in the ground, that there is a much bigger, more permanent, more trustworthy, ancient stake, the size of the Empire State Building pounded into the ground next to him.  Did I not choose YOU?

No doubt about it, the Good Lord asks us for a CHOICE.  But wait a second, He gets one too.  Did I not choose you?  Listen and chose.

The sub-title of this podcast is, "I don't like the Bible."
It is full of hard sayings and sometimes not the best responses in me.
But I should take courage, I am in very good company. The disciples felt the same way.

We see today the response of Jesus' followers after the very very very hard sayings about feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood.  These are metaphors for belief, trust, and faith, but they still are OFFENSIVE.  The disciples are offended not because they DON'T understand Jesus' meaning, but because they DO understand.  The gospel is offensive.  
Get used to the idea.

So let's sit with the offense.  What makes the gospel offensive?  And then, what do I DO with my offense?

 "I don't like the Bible and I AM OUT OF HERE!" or "I don't like the Bible and WHERE ELSE CAN I GO?" Listen and find out