Month: February 2013

Day 49 – Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

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A Transforming Touch.

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

“But Jesus said, ‘Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.'” – Luke 8:46 NLT

Jesus and His disciples had just sailed back across the Sea of Galilee to the village of Capernaum. Before they could get out of the boat they were surrounded by a crowd of people who had been waiting for Jesus to return. Among them was Jairus, a leader in the local synagogue. He made his way through the throng of people surrounding Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Him to come and heal his 12-year old daughter, who was near death. As they made their way to the man’s home, the crowd followed, pressing in on Jesus. They were all there for a variety of reasons. Some were simply curious. Others hoped to receive healing. Still others, influenced by the rhetoric of the religious leaders, were there because they hated Jesus. But one woman in the crowd was desperate and determined to see if this man called Jesus could help her with a very serious problem. Imagine the scene, as hundreds of people crowded around Jesus, jostling Him, bumping up against Him. Everyone wanted to get a close look at Him. And somehow this very ill woman was able to make her way to His side, close enough to touch the hem of His robe. That was all she dared do. She didn’t dare do what the leader of the synagogue had done. She probably did not feel worthy. But she was driven by hope. She had heard about Jesus. And Mark tells us, “she thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed'” (Mark 5:28 NLT). Driven by need, motivated by desperation, and encouraged by hope, she touched the robe of Jesus and was immediately healed. After 12 long years of suffering and countless trips to doctors that had left her financially destitute and worse off than when she started, she was healed. With just a touch of the robe of Jesus, she had received the miracle of healing. And Jesus knew exactly what had happened. He had felt healing power go out from Him. So Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” (Luke 8:45 NLT). Interestingly, the word Jesus used for touched is one that can be translated, “to fasten oneself to.” It carries a sense of intimacy and closeness. Her touch was different than all the others who were bumping up against Jesus, even reaching out to touch Him just to say they had. Some in the crowd had viewed Jesus as a celebrity. This woman saw Him as a source of hope, help and healing. And when she touched Him, she did so fully intending for something unbelievable to happen. And it did.

There are so many times that each of us come into touch with Jesus. We read about Him in the Word. We hear about Him through a sermon, Bible study lesson or small group study. We spend a great deal of our lives “bumping” into Jesus, but never expecting anything to happen as a result. We are part of the crowd that follows Him and even says we believe in Him, but we rarely receive anything from Him. Maybe it is our seeming lack of need or our failure to believe that He can do anything to help us. We come into contact with Jesus, but walk away unchanged. And the problem lies not with Jesus, but with us. We don’t reach out to Him expectantly, because we fail to believe He has the power to heal us or help us. The woman in the story had spent twelve years of her life reaching out to everyone but Jesus, and now she was desperate enough to try Him instead. Jesus told her that it was her faith that made her well. Yes, it was His power that healed her, but it began with her belief that simply reaching out to Jesus would make a different in her life. Her touch became the conduit of healing. Her faith as expressed through her intentional touch of Jesus changed her life forever. She chose to “fasten herself” to Jesus. So should we.

In the time it took for this miracle to happen, a tragedy occured. Jairus’ daughter died. A servant arrived with the news, but Jesus was not deterred or downcast. He simply said, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed” (Luke 8:50 NLT). Like the woman in the crowd, Jairus had a choice to make. He could have doubted Jesus’ words and given up all hope. But he chose to believe and then put that belief into action by walking alongside Jesus to his home. Matthew records that Jairus, upon hearing of his daughter’s death, told Jesus, “you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her” (Matthew 9:18 NLT). Which is exactly what Jesus did. He took the little girl by the hand, commanded her to get up, and she did – fully alive and fully restored. Jairus had chosen to believe. He ignored the circumstances and “fastened himself” to Jesus. He counted on Him to solve his pressing need. And Jesus did. He always does. He longs to feel healing power go from Himself in response to the faith of His followers. He longs to respond to the faith of His disciples when they choose to fasten themselves to Him even in the face of insurmountable odds. Are you willing to reach out and touch Jesus today? He is waiting.

Father, the power of Your Son has not diminished. He is just as powerful as He has always been. He still longs to transform our lives. But we must be intentional about fastening ourselves to Him. Give me the faith to believe like these two people did. Help me to see my need and to reach out to Jesus in desperation, but also expectation. He still helps and heals today. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 48 – Luke 8:26-39

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Go and Tell.

Luke 8:26-39

“The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.’ So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.” – Luke 8:38-39 NLT

After the demons left the two demon-possessed men and fled into the herd of pigs, sending them running wildly off the edge of a nearby cliff, that’s when the real action began. The disciples stood amazed and afraid. The herdsmen, who just watched their livelihood get wiped out, took off at a run for town in order to tell everyone what had happened. In no time, Jesus was surrounded by villagers eager to see for themselves what had happened. They wanted to verify that what they had heard was true – the two men (at least according to Matthew’s account) were no longer demon-possessed. These two men had been a fixture in the lives of these people for years. They feared them and stayed as far away from them as possible. Both of the men were more than likely from the nearby village and their neighbors had seen them make the transition from normal, healthy boys to crazed, demon-possessed lunatics living in a graveyard and terrorizing the community.

When the villagers arrived, they found the man who had the many demons and was known as Legion, “sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid” (Luke 8:35 NLT). Not amazed, but afraid. A similar response to that of the disciples when Jesus calmed the sea just a few hours earlier. Luke records that when the disciples had seen Jesus calm the waves and the wind, they “were terrified and amazed” (Luke 8:25 NLT). At the witness of the power of Jesus, the villagers and the disciples reacted in fear and terror. They didn’t know what to do with what they had seen. In this case, the villagers wanted Jesus to leave, “for a great wave of fear swept over them” (Luke 8:37 NLT). Rather than worship, they wanted Him to leave. They wanted life to go back to the way it was before. It didn’t matter that there was a miracle sitting in their midst in the form of two totally healed, demon-free men. They wanted Jesus gone.

But there was at least one individual who reacted in faith and not fear. One of the men who had been healed asked Jesus if he could go with Him. His life had been radically, unalterably changed by an encounter with Jesus, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life serving and following Him. But Jesus denied his request. Instead, He told the man to “go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you” (Luke 8:39 NLT). Jesus made him a missionary to his own people. The area in which this all took place was on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, in a region that was primarily Gentile. So Jesus commissions this man (and more than likely, his companion) to return home and spread the news of what God had done for him. This man had had an encounter with God Himself – in the form of Jesus, the Son of God. Now he was to go and tell what had happened. And he did. Mark tells us, “the man started off to visit the Ten Town of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed at what he told them” (Mark 8:20 NLT). There is no greater tool for proclaiming the power of God than the lips of the one who has experienced that power first-hand. Our testimony of transformation at the hands of God is undeniable and irrefutable. Yes, people can doubt it, but they can’t disprove it. There were probably those who would deny that this man had ever been demon-possessed, but he would always know the truth. His zeal and unwavering knowledge of what had happened to his life would always be there. And the same should be true of us. Our greatest witness of the power of God is what He has done in our own lives. Jesus is telling us to do exactly what He told this man to do: “Go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” Go and tell. Just share what Jesus has done. Give testimony to the fact that you have been and are being transformed by the power of God. And this testimony should be an ongoing and a growing one. Each day, we should have new news to share regarding God’s power in our lives. It is not just about a point in time when we accepted Christ as our Savior. That is just the beginning. Our testimony is a work in progress. God is always doing something in our lives. His power is always available and at work behind the scenes. Sometimes we just don’t see or recognize it. But we must look for it and then tell everyone we meet about it. Go and tell – spread the news of “everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been” (Mark 8:19 NLT).

Father, too often I fail to recognize Your power in my life. And as a result, I fail to tell anyone else about it. First of all, help me to see it. Secondly, help me have the boldness to talk about it to others, regardless of how they might receive it. I want to go and tell more regularly and faithfully. You have done so much for me and shown me so much mercy over the years. I have a story to tell that is growing with each passing day. May I begin to tell it to all with whom I come into contact. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 47 – Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20

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Terror On the Hillside.

Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20

“And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.” – Mark 5:17 NLT

Jesus and His disciples had been sailing across the Sea of Galilee to the eastern shore when they encountered the severe storm. He miraculously calmed the storm with a word from His mouth, leaving His disciples “absolutely terrified” (Mark 4:41 NLT) according to Mark’s account. They couldn’t believe what they had seen Him do. They talked among themselves, saying, “Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41 NLT).

Clarifications, Not Contradictions

With the sea calm and their minds in turmoil, the disciples finish their journey and land on the eastern shore near the region of the Gerasenes. While Matthew calls the place Gadarene, there is really no contradiction between the two accounts. Recent archeological finds have revealed the remains of a former village called Gersa near the area where Jesus and His disciples would have landed. Nearby are ancient tombs and a steep, cliff-like feature as described in the story. This village would have likely been part of the region overseen by the much larger city of Gadara, which would have meant it was in the region of the Gadarenes. Mark and Luke may be describing the region based on the people who lived there, the Gerasenes; while Matthew is using the name of the people who oversaw the entire region. In either case, we are dealing with a area occupied primarily by Gentiles in Jesus’s day, which would explain the presence of pigs, considered unclean by Jews. Another apparent contradiction is that Matthew’s account speaks of two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke talk about only one. More than likely, there were two, but one was more prominent and memorable than the other. He was the one whose demon called himself “Legion” when Jesus demanded he reveal his name. Mark and Luke provide greater detail than Matthew, but the stories are the same and the endings are virtually identical.

These two men were both possessed by demons. As a result, their lives were miserable, forced to live in isolation in a graveyard, avoided by all those who knew them, because of their violent behavior. Yet, when Jesus arrives, they come out to meet Him. Mark describes one of the men as having supernatural power, giving him the ability to snap any chains that anyone managed to place on him, and the strength to break shackled and bonds with ease. No one was strong enough to subdue him, so everyone simply avoided the area in which they lived. But as Jesus and the disciples disembark from their boat, these two demon-possessed men come out running and screaming down the hillside toward them. You can only imagine what they must have looked like to the disciples. Their appearance had to have been shocking. They would have been filthy, probably naked, with wild hair, long beards, and untrimmed nails. The poor disciples had just recovered from their ordeal at sea to now encounter two demon-possessed madmen running straight for them. Mark tells us they bowed before Jesus and one of them screamed, “Why are you interfering with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” (Mark 5:7 NLT). I would love to have seen the faces of the disciples as all this was taking place. They were probably standing behind Jesus, like a group of children hiding behind their father. Or perhaps they had backed off and stood at a distance as Jesus dealt with the situation. But they had to have been scared and confused by the whole situation.

But the disciples weren’t the only ones who were scared. The one demon who spoke to Jesus revealed that there were actually many demons in the man he possessed. And they all feared Jesus because they knew who He was. They acknowledge His as the Son of the Most High God. They knew He had power over them, so they begged Him to send them into a herd of pigs rather than send them back to hell. Jesus obliges and the demons leave the two men and take possession of the pigs, causing the entire herd to go crazy and cast themselves off a nearby cliff into the sea. Again, think of the looks on the faces of the disciples as all this came down. As if the demon-possessed men were not enough, now there were pigs involved, which were unclean to all Jews. This must have been like watching a horror movie to these poor men. But again, they were not the only ones experiencing fear.

The poor herdsmen, having seen what had happened to the two demoniacs and, more importantly, to their pigs, ran back into the village and the surrounding countryside telling everyone what they had seen. Soon a crowd gathered. By now the two men were fully clothed and in their right minds. The pigs were long gone. Mark tells us, after taking stock of the scene, the people were all afraid. So they began to plead with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. What an interesting response. Here were two men who had once been demon-possessed and now they were completely healthy and whole. But the people were afraid. While at one time they had feared the demoniacs, now they feared Jesus. He was an enigma to them. He was like nothing they had ever encountered before. He obviously had power. They were seeing the proof of it right before their eyes. But He scared them. His very presence had disrupted the status quo of their lives and caused them anxiety. They preferred things the way they used to be. They were more upset about the loss of the pigs than they were joyful over the new-found freedom of the two men. So Jesus and His disciples got back into the boat and left. And He would never return to this area again.

As the disciples sailed away with Jesus, leaving the townspeople standing on the shoreline, they had to have been blown away by all they had seen. Not only did Jesus have power over the physical elements, He had power over the spiritual world. Even Satan and his demons knew who Jesus was and they feared Him. They had to submit to Him. This had been quite a day for the disciples. They had a lot to process and think about. Their knowledge of Jesus was expanding each and every day. Their understanding of Him was increasing at a rapid pace. And they weren’t exactly sure what to do with Him. Like the people back on the shoreline, they were wrestling with all kinds of issues. Jesus was rocking their world. He was turning everything on its head and disrupting their comfortable world. Which is what He still does today. Coming to Christ is one thing. Growing in Christ is another.  Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT). The disciples were growing. They were learning. They were re-learning much of what they thought they knew about the Messiah. And it was proving to be a fearful, faith-stretching process. Their knowledge of Jesus was growing, and so was their faith.

Father, continue to stretch my faith and increase my understanding of just who Jesus is. I want to grow in my salvation. I want to have to wrestle with the reality of who He is and what He is capable of doing in my life. Don’t let me get comfortable with the status quo, but continue to stretch me – even if it scares me or makes me uncomfortable. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 46 – Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

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Terror On the High Seas.

Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

“But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger.” – Luke 8:23 NLT

Imagine the scene. Jesus and His disciples have gotten into a fishing boat. Their intent was to sail across to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, exhausted from another day of ministry to the masses, has fallen asleep. Suddenly a severe storm blows in, whipping up the sea and creating waves big enough to break over the relatively small fishing boat and fill it with water. While a good portion of the men in this boat are professional fishermen, this storm even has them scared. And Luke records, more than likely from eyewitness accounts, that they were in real danger. The boat was taking on water and close to capsizing. For the non-fishermen in the boat, like Matthew, who was just a  tax-collector, this had to have been a terrifying experience. This was an intense situation that had the disciples petrified. But there was Jesus, soundly asleep as if nothing was going on at all. So they wake Him up, crying, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” (Mark 4:38 NLT). They begged Him to save them. To them, this was a real, life-threatening situation that required His immediate attention. They were shocked that He could so callously sleep through this entire ordeal.

It’s interesting that each of the Gospel writers records a different response from Jesus. Matthew has Him saying, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” (Matthew 8:26 NLT). But it was said prior to Him calming the storm. Mark writes that Jesus said, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NLT). But Mark has Him saying this after He had calmed the storm. Finally, Luke records that immediately after Jesus calmed the storm, He asked the disciples, “Where is you faith?” (Luke 8:25 NLT). What’s going on here? Do we have what are seemingly contradictory records of this event? Where the Gospel writers suffering from poor memory or simply utilizing creative license?

Because I believe the Word of God is divinely inspired, and these individual records of this event are accurate and true, what we really have is a three dimensional view of a single historical event. Each records a slightly different part of the same story, because each is writing to a different audience and has a different objective in mind. But when you piece them all together you get a well-rounded picture of what was really going on that day in the boat. There is no doubt that this was a life-threatening event in the minds of the disciples. They were scared to death. There is no argument that Jesus was asleep in the boat while all this was going on. It would be safe to conclude that the disciples, in their fear, woke up Jesus from a sound sleep to see if He could do anything to help them. I’m not sure they knew what He could do, but they were desperate. All three texts make it clear that Jesus miraculously calmed the storm with just a word. He spoke and the wind stopped, the sea calmed, and the rain ceased. The real question seems to be what Jesus said to them and when. It would appear from Matthew’s account that Jesus questioned their fear and lack of faith immediately prior to calming the storm. Mark and Luke both have Jesus calming the storm, then asking the disciples about the condition of their faith. It would seem likely that Jesus did both. The fact is that the disciples, fearing for their lives, woke Jesus up and had no real expectation of what or how He could do anything to help them. They were fearful and faithless. So He addressed those two problems with a question. Then He showed them the unnecessary nature of their fear and faithlessness by calming the storm. With just a word from His mouth, the storm ceased and they were saved. But they had been in no real danger all along, because they were with Him. The calming of the storm was simply a proof of His power and protective presence. Matthew records that the disciples were amazed at what they had seen Jesus do. Mark picks up the story post-storm and, evidently, the disciples are still struggling with what they had just seen happen. They are probably slack-jawed and dumb-founded. They can’t believe what they have just seen. It was not the outcome they had been expecting. So Jesus addresses their fear and faithlessness again. But this time, He is talking about a different kind of fear. Rather than fear of their own deaths, they fear Him. They are petrified at what they have just seen and who it is that has just done this miraculous thing right before their eyes. But Jesus looks into their hearts and sees their lingering faithlessness. He asks rhetorically, “Do you still have no faith?” He is asking them why their faith is still weak in spite of what they have just witnessed. The word Jesus uses for fear here is a word for timidity. They are cowering. Not before the waves and the wind, but before Jesus. And interestingly enough, Mark records “The disciples were absolutely terrified” (Mark 4:41 NLT). The word for fear here is more intense. It is abject terror. It conveys the idea of fright and flight. They want to run. What they have seen Jesus do scares them more than the storm did. They are absolutely blown away by it all. They even ask among themselves, “Who is this man?” They had seen another side of Jesus that they had not seen before. Even the waves and the wind obey Him. He has power over the elements. He controls nature itself.

But the real issue in this story is their faith. When the waves had calmed and the wind had died down, Jesus asks them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25 NLT). You would think that their faith would have been at an all-time high after what they had witnessed. But according to Jesus, that doesn’t seem to be the case. What Jesus really seems to be asking them at this point is, “In what is your faith placed?” He is questioning the focus of their faith, not the effectiveness of it. They had been putting their faith in the wrong thing. Peter, Andrew, and Simon, as fishermen had grown up putting their faith in their boats and their own ability to handle the high seas of life. But on this day they had learned that their faith had been misplaced. Jesus is asking each of the disciples to consider in what or who they are placing their trust. Their circumstances had revealed the true nature of their faith. They weren’t trusting God. And even after Jesus had calmed the storm, they were still wrestling with trust in who He was and why He had come. Jesus hadn’t come to calm storms, but to conquer sin and death. He hadn’t come to make their lives easier or danger-free, but to equip them to fight spiritual battles and wage warfare with the enemy, armed with faith in the power and protective presence of God. As long as Jesus was in the boat, they had been safe. As long as the Son of God was in their presence, they were well within the will of God. The severity of their circumstances should not have changed the intensity of their faith. But like each of us, they were learning. They were growing. And their faith in Jesus Christ was increasing with each passing day.

Father, there isn’t a day that goes by that You can’t ask me that same question: “Where is your faith?” I misplace my faith all the time. I doubt and fear. I put my trust in the wrong things. I fail to learn from my circumstances and grow in my faith in You. I see You do the miraculous and, rather than rejoice in Your power and abiding presence, I find myself fearing again as soon as things don’t go quite the way I want them to go. But thank You that You are constantly working on my faith and teaching me to trust You more. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 45 – Luke 8:4-18

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Exposing Light.

Luke 8:4-18

“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” – Luke 8:17

It would be ridiculous to light a lamp and then cover it with a bowl or hide it under the bed. Or so says Jesus. And more than likely, His audience would have probably agreed with His statement wholeheartedly. In a culture that depended greatly on oil lamps for their source of light, the idea of lighting a lamp and then covering it up or placing it where it could provide no light was absurd. What use would that lamp be to anybody? Light is meant to illuminate darkness, not be overcome by it. And in this context, Jesus seems to be speaking of the light of the truth He is imparting. He is the light of the world shining in the spiritually darkened context of the nation of Israel. Jesus’ teaching itself was light. It showed the way to God and revealed the truth about how to have a restored relationship with Him. Light exposes darkness and makes visible those things that have been hidden and unseen. Every time Jesus taught, what He had to say shined the light of truth on what had become a deceived and deceptively dangerous religious system. Their view of God was warped. Their understanding of Scripture was twisted. Their concept of righteousness was self-centered and man-centric. Jesus was revealing the mystery of the Kingdom of God and, at the same time, exposing the futility and falsehood of a religious system that was based on human effort and relied on self-righteousness.

Jesus’ very presence in their environment was uncomfortable because it exposed all the flaws and fallacies that had crept into their thinking. But it also revealed the truth about God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, and Jesus’ intentions to provide a means of making man righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus had the unique ability to see into the very hearts of those who stood in His presence and those who stood against Him. Light was a way of revealing truth and exposing falsehood. John reminds us that Jesus, the Word, “gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5 NLT). Jesus Himself said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT).

Jesus came into the world, shining like a light into a darkened room. He would not be hidden. He would not be stopped. But He would shine bright, exposing every false concept of salvation, revealing every lie regarding righteousness, and making visible for all to see every hidden danger potential pitfall. So Jesus pleads with His disciples to pay close attention to what He is saying. His words are like light. They illuminate, not just educate. They expose, not just explain. They reveal the key to redemption and restoration.

Father, thank You for sending the Light of Your Son into the darkness of my world. And Jesus, thank You for continuing to expose and illuminate what the Father longs to eliminate from my life so that I might be continually and increasingly transformed into Your likeness. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 44 – Mark 4:1-34

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How’s Your Hearing?

Mark 4:1-34

“If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” – Mark 4:23 NET

As in Matthew’s account of this same event, Mark records the words of Jesus carefully. And there is a special emphasis placed on listening and hearing. Jesus even starts off his first parable with the command, “Listen!” Then two separate times He uses the interesting phrase, “If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” Inferred in this statement is the fact that one can hear and not really listen. Anyone with small children can attest to the reality of that fact. And yet Jesus seems to be demanding much more than simply listening. His real point of emphasis seems to be understanding. When talking about the mystery of the Kingdom of God, He tells His disciples that they have been given permission to understand was He is saying. Which is why He takes time to explain to them more fully the meaning behind His parables. But then He quotes from the writings of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, and says about the others who have heard Him speak, “When they hear what I say, they will not understand” (Mark 4:12 NLT). They will hear and, more than likely, listen intently, but they will fail to understand, and as a result, they will fail to believe.

It is interesting to note that in His parable about the seeds and the soils, in each case, they all represent individuals who hear the same message. But the condition of the soils, or their hearts, has a direct impact on the viability and success of the seed. For some, their hearts are like hardened footpaths where there is no place for the Word of God to take land. They hear, but Word simply sits on the surface, where it soon disappears. Others hear the message gladly and it seems to make a difference, but their problem is that their hearts are shallow, and there is no way for the Word of God to take root. At the first sign of problems or persecution, they give up. And there are those who hear, but their hearts are filled with the cares and worries of this life. They are enamored by materialism, wealth, and the things of this world, so the message is slowly crowded out and, eventually, forgotten. But there will be those few who hear, listen, and understand. Their hearts provide a fertile soil in which the message can take root, grow, and produce fruit in their lives.

Jesus implores them to “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Mark 4:24-25 NET). He is telling them to judge what they are hearing Him say carefully. They must not measure or judge His message by the old standard of the Law. He is warning them to listen intently because He is presenting them with new information regarding the Kingdom of God and how they might have a place in it. The old message of inclusion based on inheritance is no longer valid. Just being born a Jew is not enough. Being a descendant of Abraham is not a guarantee of a place in God’s Kingdom. If they will listen to what He is saying and discard their preconceived notions of what it means to be included in the Kingdom of God, they will be given even more understanding. They will receive even more insight into the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdom. But for all those, like the Pharisees, who hear, but refuse to listen and understand, because they are using the wrong standard of measurement, “even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them” (Mark 4:25 NLT).

From our vantage point this side of the resurrection, so much of this makes sense to us. But we have to remember that this was all new information to the disciples. It was radical and revolutionary. It did not gel with their understanding of God, His Kingdom or the Messiah. It wasn’t what they had been taught growing up as young Hebrew boys. Everything Jesus said seemed to be controversial and contradictory to what they had been taught to believe. But He encourages them to listen. He tells them to give up their old standard of measurement or belief and to hear what He is saying and understand the truth for the first time in their lives. And while so much of this makes no sense, Jesus tells them that His Kingdom will grow. Like a farmer who plants his seed and then waits for harvest, the disciples will learn that the message they have heard and soon will share with others, will take root in the lives of others and grow – all because of the work and power of God. But it all begins with listening, hearing, and understanding. The more intently they listened, the more they understood. The more eager they were to understand, the more carefully Jesus explained everything to them. Which begs the question, how well are we, as His disciples in this generation, listening to His words and understanding what He is trying to teach us?

Father, hearing can be hard sometimes. There are so many distractions, so much noise. And there are times when I am hearing, but not listening. You are speaking, but I am too busy listening to other voices. But even in those times when I do listen to You, I can easily fail to understand because what You say does not fit in with what I want to believe. I am using the wrong standard of measurement. I am judging Your Words by the world’s standards. I want pleasure and happiness, and Your desire is for my holiness. Give me ears to hear, listen and understand. Soften my heart so that the Word always finds fertile ground in which to take root, grow and produce fruit in my life. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 43 – Matthew 13:1-52

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The Secrets of the Kingdom.

Matthew 13:1-52

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” – Matthew 13:11-12 NLT

Jesus is sitting in a boat along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, teaching a crowd of people. He has just had a series of confrontations with the Pharisees, where they have confronted Him over healing on the Sabbath, and even accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. They even demanded that Jesus perform some kind of a sign to prove who He was – in spite of all the miracles and wonders He had already done right in front of them. It is important to keep all this in mind as you read the events of chapter 13. It contains a series of seemingly unrelated parables that deal with everything from seeds and soil to the Kingdom of God and judgment. Jesus uses all kinds of imagery and metaphors, and it can be easy to get bogged own by it all and lose the point of what He is trying to tell His disciples. While Jesus is speaking to a crowd of interested onlookers, He only explains the meaning of the parables to His closest disciples. And He tells them that He is sharing with them the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, He is letting them in on some previously hidden information regarding God’s Kingdom and how it functions. This is information not known to the Pharisees. In fact, they were operating under some serious false assumptions regarding God, the Messiah, and the Kingdom. Jesus accuses them of looking, but not really seeing. “They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand” (Matthew 23:13 NLT). Notice all the times Jesus uses words related to seeing and hearing in this passage. That is the real message behind what He is saying. As the Son of God, He came with a message about the Kingdom of God that was new. He was revealing a new way to have a right relationship with God. No longer would it be based on human effort and hard work. He came bringing a message of grace that was based on faith, not works. But the majority of the Jewish people, including the religious leadership, refused to hear it. They saw Jesus perform miracles, but couldn’t see who He really was. They heard Jesus speak, but could comprehend what He was saying. Why? “For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them” (Matthew 13:15 NLT).

That is the real point of Jesus’ message. And using a series of parables, Jesus reveals to His disciples what is taking place around them. There are those in the crowd who hear His message, but don’t get it. There are others who hear it with great joy, but the shallowness of their lives give it no place to root and the troubles and cares of the world cause them to fall away. Still others hear Jesus’ message about the Kingdom only to have the worries of life and the love of wealth crowd it out. But there are those few “who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:23 NLT). And these fruitful few would find themselves surrounded with all the others, attempting to live their new life among the shallow, ignorant, worldly and worriers.

Jesus was letting them know that His Kingdom was not going to be an earthly Kingdom where He would set up a throne and rule from Jerusalem. At least, not yet. No, His Kingdom was going to be made up of followers who lived as a faithful citizens in the midst of a hostile environment. And while His kingdom would start out relatively small, it would grow and spread, like yeast in dough. It would expand and flourish like a tree. And it will continue to grow until the judgment, when God will separate out the people of the Kingdom from those who belong to this world and to the prince of this world – Satan. Jesus is trying to help them understand the nature and importance of His Kingdom. It is valuable. It is worth giving up anything and everything for. Any sacrifice required to become a part of this new Kingdom will be well worth it in the long run. Any short-term sacrifice will have long-term benefits. This is not about a temporal, earthly kingdom, but an eternal, spiritual one. And membership in this Kingdom will not be based on nationality or bloodline, but on belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This was new information. Jesus described what He was sharing as “new gems of truth.” He was completing the redemption story begun by God in the Old Testament. He was fulfilling the law of God and completing the plan of God for the salvation of mankind. And it was important that they saw the difference and heard the truth of what He was saying. Their hearts had to be willing to accept this new news willingly, faithfully, and gladly. Even in spite of all those around them who refused to see and hear.

Father, I am glad You gave me the capacity to hear Your message of grace and forgiveness in Christ clearly. Only You could have given me the ability to truly hear and understand the message of salvation through Christ alone. The Good News was new news to the people in Jesus’ day and it made no sense to many of them. It went against their expectations. It sounded far-fetched and too good to be true. It was difficult to understand because it didn’t require human effort or reward good works. It was the goodness of God expressed through the gift of the Son of God, and based on faith, and nothing ore. Thank You. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 42 – Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21

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A New Family.

Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21

“Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” – Matthew 12:50 NLT

Jesus had a family. He had a mother and step-father. He had brothers and sisters. And He cared for them deeply. Yet in this passage it would be easy to conclude that Jesus had a less-than-expected love for His family based on His seemingly callous statements. But Jesus is making a statement about the Kingdom He had come to establish. In His spiritual realm, there would be new relationships forged that would be as important and binding as those of flesh-and-blood family. In accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, an individual becomes part of a much larger family or community, made up of all believers – of every language and culture. This new family expands the sphere of relationships and increases our responsibilities to include all those who share a common belief in Christ. It does not negate our love for or responsibility to our earthly parents or siblings. No, Jesus is saying that, as believers, we become part of a much larger family – the family of God.

In that new family there will be personality conflicts and relational issues. There will be the occasional disagreement or fight. At times, one of our new brothers or sisters will hurt or offend us. And we will do our fair share of hurting as well. But God has placed us in this new family so that we might live experience the oneness and unity He, Christ and the Holy Spirit enjoy. He has called us to live in unity and love. We are called to use the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control – in the context of our new family. We are commanded to love one another, pray for one another, bear one another’s burdens, serve one another, be patient with one another and more. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul tells them, “You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT).

We are to love our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. But we are also called to love our spiritual family. It is within the context of our new family that the power of God is revealed as we live in close community with those with whom we have little in common except our common love for the Lord. Paul went on to beg the Ephesians “to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future” (Ephesians 4:1-4 NLT).

We are members of God’s family. An amazing concept to grasp. But what a difference it will make when we do.

Father, thank You for my earthly, physical family. They are a blessing to me. But thank You also for placing me in Your family. Help me to see my brothers and sisters in the family of God the way You do. Help me to view them with the same love and affection You feel for them. Expand my love to include my expanded family. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 41 – Luke 11:24-26, 29-36

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How’s Your Eyesight?

Luke 11:24-26, 29-36

“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.” – Luke 11:35 NLT

There were times when Jesus seemed to talk in riddles. Of course, when He used parables, they could be very confusing and difficult to understand, but that was His intent. He was actually hiding truth from those who refused to believe in Him. But there were other times when He just seemed to be teaching or speaking and the analogies or metaphors He used seemed somewhat obscure and their meanings were not exactly clear. The passage for today is a perfect example. Luke records that right after Jesus talked about “the sign of Jonah” and the refusal of the people of Israel to believe in Him, Jesus broke into a short discussion on the lamp and the eye. He makes that very familiar statement, “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts in under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house” (Luke 11:33 NLT). I can’t tell you how many sermons I have heard on this verse that have tried to make it all about sharing your faith. I am not against us sharing our faith, but I don’t think that is what this verse is about. I don’t believe that was the message Jesus was trying to convey. Because He goes on and describes the eye as a lamp that provides light to the body. What is He talking about? What’s the point of this message?

I think the key to understanding this passage can be found in the original language in which these words were recorded. In the New Living Translation, the eye is described as being either “good” or “bad.” Those two words can mean a lot of different things in English. But in the Greek, the word translated “good” is a word that means “whole.” In other words, it is complete, healthy and able to do its job well. A whole eye is a fully functioning eye, doing what it was intended to do, without any flaws or defects. But a bad eye is literally a “diseased” eye. In an ethical sense, it is blind and unable to do what it was intended to do. It is no longer whole or healthy. It may appear to be a fully functioning eye, but it is incapable of providing light to the rest of the body. So what’s the point? What is Jesus trying to say? If we keep the context in mind, Jesus has been addressing the unbelief of the Pharisees. Rather than see all the signs and miracles that Jesus had performed as evidence of His claim to be the Messiah, they chose to write it off as the result of Satan. When Jesus refers to a light that is placed on a stand where everyone can see it, He is most likely referring to Himself. He elsewhere refers to Himself as the Light of the world. “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT). Earlier in his gospel, John speaks of Jesus in these same terms. “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5 NLT). Jesus is the Light sent from God, like a light set on a stand where it can be seen by all. Jesus words and works were clearly visible for all to see. The problem was not with Jesus, but in the ability of the people to SEE Him clearly. In verse 34, Jesus makes a transition and describes the eyes of the people like a lamp that provides light to their body. A good or healthy eye will allow light in so that the entire body can benefit from it. But a diseased or partially blind eye will fail to recognize the light, and instead, will tend to mistake partial darkness for light. Which is why Jesus says, “Make sure the light you think you have is not actually darkness” (Luke 11:35 NLT). The Pharisees were guilty of failing to see Jesus as the light. They refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah. Instead, they mistook the darkness in their own lives – their feeble attempts at self-righteousness – as light. And as a result, the Light of Christ was not able to penetrate their lives and expose the dark, sin-filled recesses.

They came asking for a sign. Yet Jesus had come like a light clearly displayed on a lamp stand for all to see. The problem was not with the Light, but with their capacity to see.

Father, there are countless millions of people today who still fail to see the Light of the world, Your Son, even though He shines clearly in the lives of those whose lives He has transformed through His redemptive work on the cross. These people are blinded by their own self-righteousness. They are attempting to earn favor with You based on their own merit. But the light they think they have is actually darkness. Open their eyes Lord so that they may see the truth and experience the life-transforming light of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 40 – Matthew 12:38-45

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Someone Greater.

Matthew 12:38-45

“The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here – but you refuse to repent.” – Matthew 12:41 NLT

“Show us a sign!”

“Do something miraculous that proves who you say you are!”

“We won’t believe in you until to convince us you are really from God.”

That’s the attitude of the religious leaders who confronted Jesus on a regular basis. The bottom line was that they refused to accept His claim to be the Messiah. They couldn’t bring themselves to believe He was the Son of God and the long-awaited Savior. Yet they had seen and heard about the many miracles Jesus had performed. There is not doubt that they had heard rumors about Him turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana early in His ministry. He had healed a man of leprosy. He had healed the servant of a Roman officer – long-distance – by just speaking a word.  Early in the account of Matthew, he writes, “And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed – he healed them all” (Matthew 4:23-24 NLT). Word got out. Crowds followed Him wherever He went. And in those crowds were the Pharisees. The truth is, these men didn’t try to discount the fact that Jesus had done all these things. No, instead, they wrote them off as having been done in the power of Satan. They accused Jesus of getting His power from the enemy, not from God. So it wasn’t that they refused to believe in His miracles. They refused to believe in who He said He was. So when they come asking for yet another sign or miracle to prove His authority to do the things He did, Jesus responded with words of warning.

He accused them of being an evil, adulterous generation. They were unfaithful to God. Here was the Son of God standing in their very presence, but they refused to believe in Him. They would ultimately reject Him and have Him crucified. Which is exactly what Jesus is talking about that the only sign they will receive that they might believe would be His own death and resurrection. But even that would not turn their hearts toward Him. The people of Nineveh, an evil Gentile nation, repented when they heard the words of the prophet Jonah. But the people of God, the Jews, would not repent even after hearing the words of the Son of God. The queen of Sheba was amazed at the wisdom of Solomon, but Jesus is far greater than Solomon and these men refused to hear a word He said.

They were masters at looking spiritual and living lives that appeared to be righteous. But their hearts were empty. They saw themselves as right before God’s eyes simply because they were descendants of Abraham and were members of God’s chosen people – the Jews. But Jesus informs them that their future was bleak because they were turning their backs on the very one who could transform their lives and make them right with God. Their attempts at “cleaning house” on their own and making themselves presentable to God were going to prove futile. They would end up worse off in the end. All because they refused to repent. All because they were unwilling to believe.  And yet, today there are those who continue this tradition of rejection and refusal to believe. They just can’t seem to accept who Jesus claims to be. They have heard the message. They have even seen His miraculous work in the lives of friends and family members, but it is not enough. They need more proof. They require more evidence. When they are told about Jesus death, burial and resurrection, they write it off and label it as myth. It is too hard to comprehend. It makes no sense rationally or scientifically. But in the end, it is the only proof God is going to give. The resurrection of Christ is the only evidence they are going to receive. He is alive and at work in the lives of millions of people on the earth today. He is transforming lives daily. He is ministering constantly. And yet, in spite of all He is doing, millions continue to reject Him. But there are millions who are also turning to Him. The Gospel continues to spread. The message of salvation through Christ continues to be preached. And the mercy and grace of God through Jesus Christ continues to be freely offered to all who will receive it.

Father, we will always have those stubborn, hard-hearted individuals among us. But don’t let us lose faith or grow weary telling the message of Good News to all we see. Because You are still redeeming lives and restoring the lost to a relationship with You. We are the best advertisement of Your transforming power. May our lives reflect Your resurrection power and prove that Jesus Christ alive and well and at work in our lives today. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org