EXODUS 13v17-18: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that way was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert (wilderness) road toward the Red Sea.

Moses remained in a solitary, nonpublic existence for a long time. It was as if — in some deep and fundamental way— he just let go. He let go of his dreams of fixing anything, helping anyone or even living among his people. Instead, he received what was given. He was offered a home in Midian, and so he settled there. He was given a wife, and so he took her as her own. He fathered a son, and it became a touchstone in his life, an opportunity to name something about himself with more courage and realism than ever before. 

Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

“We must learn the language of lament so we can give voice to our faith when praise just won’t do. We must speak to God even when we don’t have anything nice to say. We must keep the conversation going.” - Austin Fisher, Faith in the Shadows: Finding Christ in the Midst of Doubt.

“We are permitted to struggle and wander in our faith so long as it happened decades ago. But if it happened just three short years ago, or last year, or last week, well, that’s just inappropriate. We’ve created a church culture where we are permitted to struggle and wander in the far distant past but not in the dangerous present. It’s our statute of limitations on wandering: it’s acceptable as long as it happened a long time ago. Why? Because we are addicted to certainty not faith.” - AJ Swoboda, The Dusty Ones

Jesus’ compassionate love is the motivation for participation in Jesus’ kingdom mission.

“Because Jesus suffers with people he forms a mission to them. Mission is not motivated by Jesus’ disgust for people because they are such sinners, nor even by an imperial sense that he has a right to people (which, properly understood, he has). Mission is motivated by the more appealing fact of Jesus’ compassion for people. Mission in Matthew’s Gospel, therefore, is not first of all an enterprise by which missionaries go out and censoriously shape up the world. Mission is first a task in which disciples go out and compassionately help people out—by bringing and representing the Good News. When sin is stressed inordinately as a source of mission, compassion is smothered rather than stoked. When Jesus looks out over the world, it is first of all people’s helplessness that he sees; it is their depression, oppression, and suppression that affects him most.” - Dale Bruner, The Christbook Part 1

Throughout Matthew’s biography of Jesus, the least likely are consistently the ones that Jesus invites into his kingdom mission. In this story, two blind men are the ones that actually see Jesus the most clearly and have profound biblical faith that Jesus is who the Scriptures claim He is.

Jesus often doesn't work according to what we think is logical or what we might think is the best timing. A girl is dying, Jesus is on the way to heal her, but Jesus stops to heal and talk with a woman who yes is sick, but doesn't have a life-threatening situation. She touches Jesus' clothes and is healed. What's up with that?

Despite us not knowing all the details, Jesus call us to a continued trust in him. In the words of Jesus, "do not fear, keep on believing."

Jesus is pursuing the least likely through radically ordinary hospitality because He is on a mission to save sinners in a new category breaking way.

Recommended Reading:

"A Meal With Jesus" by Tim Chester

"The Gospel Comes with a House Key" by Rosaria Butterfield

Jesus is pursuing the least likely through radically ordinary hospitality because He is on a mission to save sinners in a new category breaking way.

Recommended Reading:

"A Meal With Jesus" by Tim Chester

"The Gospel Comes with a House Key" by Rosaria Butterfield

*Note: We only made it through about half of the intended notes/slides for this passage. We will have part two next Sunday, August 26.

Over the past few months, we've been looking at a story or two about Jesus from the book if Matthew each week. In this teaching, we're looking at Matthew 9v1-8 where a group of friends brings their paralyzed friend to Jesus in hopes of healing. Jesus "sees" their faith, but then instead of immediately healing him, he forgives his sins? What's that all about?