Matthew 9:9-13 ESV
[9] As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. [10] And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
Our traveler was shocked and stood in sadness at what he had been told. The Messiah he was looking for, the one he had just considered following once he found Him, He was acting like one who was not pure. Our traveler was angry with himself for all the years he had spent. For the true Messiah was to be Holy, yet this man sat with the sinner.
The two men accounting what they had heard and seen of the calling of the deciples spoke calmy to our traveler.
“Just wait. We are not yet finished in our tellings. Sit, please.”
Though still upset, our traveler sat down again and listened as his companions began speaking again.
[11] And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [12] But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Our traveler’s eyes felt warm as he held back his tears. He realized in those simple words, that he too would be welcome at the table of Jesus. He was a righteous man, one who sacrificed to God and honored Him. Yet he knew that he was broken and full of sin. There were days when he felt no amount of sacrifice could pay for his guilt. Yet the King he sought after was seeking out the lost and those broken by sin and was offering them a chance to change, He was offering love and hope. He was not impure, He was not making Himself unclean and sinning with those who had chosen to not serve God. He was offering to those who were ready to let go and come to Him a way out from their pain.
“I too am a sinner. I have worried about when I meet Him because of this. Yet now I know that I be with Him and He will help me change.” Our Traveler stated through a mix of joy and tears.
The other two men smiled and nodded their heads, they had been where he was and had gone from anger to peace at the realization of what Jesus had meant.
There have been so many who want to claim the tax collector’s table. They say, “Jesus will welcome me there just as I am.” But then they go no further. They remain at the table of the sinners. Yes, Jesus is sitting there, but He will not remain there. Jesus is sitting at that table because it is the place the broken are willing to come, but He has planned a better table with a great banquet, yet to be seated at this table you must be willing to change.
Here Jesus calls Himself the physician there to heal the sick. You do not seek out a health care professional so they can say, “ya you’re fine, go on the way you are.” You seek them out so they can tell you your illness and help cure you from it. If I go to a doctor and he says, “I can’t see anything wrong with you.” I not only feel like I have wasted my time but I also question his qualifications.
Jesus was not saying, “I like sinners and their sinning and I want to sin with them.” He was not saying, “I see you and don’t judge you.” He was definitely not saying, “you be you bo.” He was saying, “yes these people are sinners, but I love them and have come to heal them.”
The calling of Matthew was a radical move. But look closely. Jesus calls Matthew and Matthew gives up his tax booth and leaves all of that behind and follows Jesus. Matthew is exactly who we are supposed to be. We are all sinners. All of us. The fact that Jesus will forgive us and let us come to Him, that’s what’s amazing.
Imagine being Matthew. Everyone hates you. Your people hate you because you cheat from them and work for the Roman’s. The Roman’s hate you because you’re not Roman. Then one day someone looks you in the eye and says. I love you. Follow me.
Amazing.
Guess what? He loves you. Follow Him.
Category: Devotional
Following the fourth Wiseman- the fig tree
Our traveler is anxious to hear more! His Messiah is calling people. When the two men with him had first began telling what they knew of Jesus’s calling of the first deciples our traveler had been confused by the “band of un-schooled ruffians and old fishermen,” but now as he listened a new thought came to him, and it filled him with such excitement and joy that he could hardly contain it. If Jesus was calling others, people of low standing and no formal training in the law, perhaps he could join and follow Jesus too?
The two men with our traveler continue speaking. They relate the way the next deciple came to follow Jesus.
John 1:45-51 ESV
[45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” [50] Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” [51] And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Here in this verse we can assume that Jesus said ‘I saw you while you were under the fig tree,’ because Nathaniel was sitting under a fig tree when Philip found him. However, I like the way The Chosen series portrays this scene, Nathaniel has just lost everything, he literally sets fire to his ambitions and dreams and then in tears gathers the ashes and pours them over his head, all while under a fig tree. Do you know why I like this? It’d because it gives so much more meaning to the moment when Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree.”
When we are in desperation, and our dreams have gone up in flame, and we sit alone and crying, we can feel no one in the world sees us, nor cares. Yet in the moments we are closer to Jesus than any other time. Why? Because we have nothing else, so we draw nearest to the only one who has stayed beside us, the only true thing that has not disappeared with all the rest. Jesus says He draws near to the brokenhearted because it’s in those moments that we feel no one sees us, yet the King of the world is saying, “I see you when you think you are all alone and no one cares, I care.”
I do not know the true path that lead to Nathaniel’s door, but I know that anytime I am having a fig tree moment, my Jesus is with me.
Following the fourth Wiseman- when Jesus says follow me, will you stop what you are doing and go?
John 1:43-44 ESV
[43] The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
It has been said that Philip was most likely a follower of John the Baptist. We could then produce the hypothesis that Philip might have previously met Jesus through John before, though there is no evidence to that thought. In my mind I see Jesus walking through Galilee and seeing Philip and going up to him and asking him to follow. Jesus was never demanding people to follow Him, they could have said ‘no,’ but each one of them knew in their hearts that this man was different, and each one of them followed Him willingly. We do not know much of Philip, all we know is that Jesus said ‘follow,’ and he did.
Following the fourth Wiseman- The calling of the first deciples
The calling of the deciples.
Our traveler walks in disappointed silence. He was sure that he would the Messiah in the nearest city to where the man in the camel skins had been proclaiming about him. Yet, when our Wiseman reached the city he found no one. He searched for days and was left with nothing to shore for his effort. He had then made his way to back to the oasis he had seen the man. From a fair distance he could make him out and someone was with him. A thrill went up the spine of our traveler as he felt in his spirit that this was the man, this was who had been searching for.
All weariness left our traveler as he pulled on his camel and began running toward the people in the distance. A clap of thunder sounded and in terror the camel turned and bolted. Our traveler’s hand was bound in the animal’s tethers and he was dragged behind him away from his Messiah. He screamed and cried in desperation, trying to peel the leather from his hand and return to his King, but it was no use. All he could do was try his best to calm the charging animal and pray that it would not harm him in its panic.
After several hours he returned to only find two men walking past the spot he had seen his Messiah. He asked them where they were going and if they had seen the man in camel hair and the other who was with him.
The two men laughed, “seen them? Of course we’ve seen them, did you not hear what happened?”
Our traveler shook his head and the men sat him down, offered him water and food, and began to tell their story.
They too had seen Jesus baptized.
John 1:35-39 ESV
[35] The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, [36] and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” [37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. [38] Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” [39] He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
The men exchanged excited looks, “but that’s not all. We were curious and chose to follow behind a ways. You will not believe what happened next!”
Luke 5:3-11 ESV
[3] Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [4] And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” [5] And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” [6] And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. [7] They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. [8] But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” [9] For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, [10] and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” [11] And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Our traveler sat in rapture at the tales the two men shared. So the man he was seeking was gathering an army? To overthrow Rome perhaps? But, why these men? Two followers of a man who liked to live in the wilderness and a set of common fishermen. These were not the men he thought a King would use to begin his army. He shook his head. Who was he to judge who would be a good soldier and who would not. What was important was that the Messiah was there. He was closer now than he had ever been to finally meeting him.
We can never tell why God will permit us to draw close to something we long for only to make us wait. How often have we been our traveler? Longing to reach out and touch our vision only to be pulled away by something else?
When our traveler sees Jesus from a distance and all his weariness fades away and he begins to run to Him, that is how I see heaven. We finally reach the finish line. We are weary from the fight to survive this world. Then we see Jesus. All the pain, sadness and fear leaves our bodies and we run, we run with everything we have in us and He lifts us up, spins us around and holds us tight as we laugh together. The road is simply what we walk until we reach Jesus face to face. It can be hard and it can hurt, but in the end, paradise.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Waiting on prophecies
Luke 1:7, 11-17 ESV
[7] But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
[11] And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12] And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14] And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15] for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or a strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. [16] And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, [17] and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Before the dove and the voice of God. Before the imprisonment. Before the beheading. There was a prophecy. John fully fulfilled the prophecy of the angel. We have prophecies in the Bible we are still waiting to be fulfilled. We are still waiting for the day when they come to pass. In the waiting we, like Zachariah, may doubt the word of the Lord. But we must not doubt. Not because God will strike us mute for nine months, but because we are not people who have seen the angels face to face, our doubt can turn into something serious and terrible, we can turn away from God. It’s hard not to doubt when a prayer is a long time in being answered, or a prophecy seems to be impossible, but that is why we have faith. We choose to trust. We choose to not believe the lies in our head and the lies of those around us. We hold to faith. We wait on the prophecies of Jesus returning for us. We wait and watch and hope, knowing that the same God who fulfilled the impossible prophecies of the past, will also fulfill the prophecies of the future. Our Wiseman we follow this lent season is searching after a prophecy, one he has searched after for thirty years. Yet, he refuses to give up, because he knows in his heart that he is searching for life, for truth, for the King, for the Messiah, for Jesus.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Jesus reminds us the crowds that doubt does not mean faithless.
John the Baptist was Jesus’s beloved cousin. They had known each other since before birth, they had most likely played together and gone to the temple together. They probably had family gatherings together and attended the Jewish festivals together. John knew Jesus. He knew the prophecies. He WAS one of the prophecies. Yet in his suffering he questioned, he even doubted a little who Jesus was.
Matthew 11:2-3, 5-11 ESV
[2] Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples [3] and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
[5] the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. [6] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Many want to criticize John for his question to Jesus. They say that he doubted God and that we should be stronger than him and more secure in our faith. That’s crazy. Who among us is stronger in their faith and commitment to Jesus then John was? I am glad that we have this account of John’s doubt, because it reminds us that questioning where our faith stands does not make Jesus angry with us. He loves us. He understood John’s pain and probably his fear, the man was being held without bail by a king that could kill him on a whim, which he ends up doing. We are not told if John was tortured, by knowing Herod’s past it would not be a large jump for us to think that our favorite locus and honey eating friend was probably suffering. John, in a moment of need, sent his followers to ask of Jesus if He truly was the Messiah. This is important to take note of. Yes it is okay to have questions and it is normal to sometimes doubt. But when that happens, search for your answers in the right place. John went straight to Jesus, and Jesus answered with not just words, by accounts of the signs and wonders that showed Him to be God.
When you doubt. When your suffering leads you to question if God is really there. Don’t go to the internet. Don’t go to the media. Don’t go to anyone but Jesus. Search His word and see His promises. Pray and speak to Him about it directly. When things hurt and are confusing, run to the Light.
[7] As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [8] What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. [9] What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ [11] Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
John’s doubt was very public because of how and when his followers questioned Jesus. Jesus knew what people would be thinking. So, He turned to the crowds and kept them from judging and doubting John. He made sure people knew that John was sent as a prophet by God. That John had been chosen and used for God’s glory. That John had given no thought or accord to his own life, but instead had followed God’s direction, denying himself and making the way for Jesus’s ministry. Then Jesus goes a step a further and says the one who is the least in the kingdom of Heaven is still greater than John. Jesus was making it clear that among those who stood and judged John for his doubt, not one of them was anywhere near John’s equal. He then went even further than THAT and said that those who have been saved by faith in Him are greater even than John. Jesus was always pointing people back to the one way to Heaven. Are we saved? Do we truly believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven? Yes. We follow the one true King. Someday we will meet John in Heaven and speak with him and get to know him as Jesus knew him. Imagine the stories he will tell. Do not let your fear and doubt steal you faith. Jesus is king, but He is also the only one will ever truly love you and He wants to save you if you will only turn to Him.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Jesus baptized
We then see our traveler turn in anticipation and leave in the direction of the nearest great city. In his mind, that is where the savior will be. Teaching the masses, healing the sick, destroying the enemies of His people. But as we know, that was not where Jesus was. I do not know how soon after John’s run in with the questioning Jewish people, that Jesus came. What I do know is that the Bible has the events one chapter after the other. So I assume Jesus arrived within a few days of that event.
Matthew 3:13-17 ESV
[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. [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; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Son of God knew how important it was to be baptized. Did He need to make a covenant with God? No. He is God. Did He have sins to wash away in the water? No. He is pure. So why did Jesus decide to be baptized? If you look up what has been discussed and decided upon as an answer you will find that it is largely believed, and makes a fair amount of sense, that Jesus chose to be baptized to show the beginning of his ministry and to show it with an act of obedience to God. Despite Jesus being sinless, this act showed him identifying with mankind who need forgiveness and repentance.
Some may also say that it was symbolic of His death to come. Jesus’s baptism marked the beginning, before the calling of the 12, before the water into wine, before the man by the pool of Bethesda, here Jesus was anointed by God for the journey ahead. Here it begins.
Lent journey. Following the fourth Wiseman
Think of the story of the fourth Wiseman. The one who did not get there in time. He never saw Jesus as a child. He never got to give his present. He got there in time to stand at the foot of the cross. Sometimes, just because you are lost, does not mean you are out of God’s will or plan.
This set of weeks leading up to Easter we are going to take a little creative licence and join the fourth Wiseman. We will be with him as he hears and learns about each pinnacle event and as he tries so hard to finally meet his Messiah.
Beginning:
The sound of the breeze through the sand as it whispers across the shoreline. Our traveler has walked many miles in search of the King. The years have stretched. His clothes have worn. His body and his camel have grown tired. Yet as he draws water for the animal to drink, probably for the hundredth time since his journey began, following a star and finding an empty stable, he hears a whisper.
“Have you heard what he is saying?” One woman asks.
“He’s probably crazy.” Another answers.
A pause. “But what if he isn’t?”
Our traveler turns and wonders if he should break the social norm and ask them what they mean. Then he hears a cry, loud and piercing. The women shake their heads and he knows this cry has something to do with their conversation. He leads his camel through the deserted streets and finds a small huddle around an oasis. There in the water stands a man, water streaming from him, eyes full of fire and laughter. He is baptizing people. But not in the way or name that our traveler has heard before. No. He is using a new authority, and at the sound of the name Our traveler shivers with excitement.
John 1:19-23 ESV
[19] And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” [20] He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” [21] And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” [22] So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” [23] He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
And so it begins. John was the voice crying in the wilderness as he prepared people to receive Jesus. God had previously ordained John for this time and purpose. When Jesus’s ministry began, people were already starting to feel it coming, the knowledge that the Messiah was on His way and was not as far off as people thought previously. Not every ear would hear. Not every heart was ready. But many who heard believed and were ready for Jesus to come.
Good shoes
Continuing from last week on what to bring for the spiritual journey. Last week we covered how you will need a good map. A map that shows you where to go and how to get there. Our map is this Bible and we need to know it and have it with us.
Second, you will need a good solid pair of shoes.
God says we should put on the shoes of readiness. Yet we are getting used to our shoes of readiness being more a pair of wolly toe socks then the marching boots they were meant to be.
There will be sharp rocks on the journey. There may be dangerous insects and venomous serpents. You need a strong pair of shoes that can keep up with you. Lace up those boots. You do not want to make this walk in socks.
Packing for the road part 1
Acts 17:28-31 ESV
[28] for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ [29] Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. [30] The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, [31] because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
There are so many these days who want to jump in and claim that every tiny thing is a sign of the end. In fact there have been signs of the end off and on since Jesus died, was it not Paul who said that we are now living in the last days?
We can be afraid of what we see around us or we can look to God and His word. Petra has a song called last days. They say in it, that the last days are the final craze. It’s so true. These days we have had are crazy. It feels like people are losing their common sense let alone their sanity. When walking through the valley it can be easy to look at the crooked trees and the shadows. But if you look too long you will find that you have wandered off the path after them and now you are trapped. Don’t worry. The good shepherd has had lots of practice pulling his sheep from bramble. When these days come we need to focus on Jesus and only Him. He is the light that will guide us.
You will need five things to get you to the other side of the valley. Think of this as your ‘what to bring’ list for the road.
First you will need a map.
You will hear many people and preachers tell you things that sound true, yet the only way to know if they are truly true is to listen to God Himself. Take everything you hear and test it against the Bible.
I love my Bible. It has a nice big concordance in the back where I can look up every scripture on most topics. If I hear something I need clarity on, or something that just doesn’t sound right, I reach for my Bible and find the answers God gave us. The walk can be long and everything can begin to look the same, but a good map will show you the right way. You look at it and see the trees, mountains, rivers. You can tell by the landmarks which way to follow and what to avoid. God has always been the greatest cartographer, He has given us a map that does not simply show us where to go, but also how to get there. There is no fastest route on this map, it will be a long journey, life usually is, but you will get to your destination. When you get there you will not hear, “you have arrived.” You will hear, “well done good and faithful servant.”
Don’t forget to pack your map.
Carried in the cross 