Thursday, June 2, 2011

Matthew 8: Part III - The Cost of Following Jesus (NIV)

Summary:

The Cost of Following Jesus
Verses 18-22

When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross the lake.  A teacher of the law called Him Teacher and offered to follow Him everywhere.  Jesus answered that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.  Another disciple asked to bury his father before following Christ.  Jesus responded to follow Him and let the dead bury their own dead.

Lori's Thoughts:

Jesus needed a break.  He needed time to pray and to replenish His energy.  The same goes for us.  Remember, there are no emergencies with God.  To a human, the worst case would be that someone died while Jesus was resting.  To the divine, that person is also resting and He could call them up if He so desired.  This is how God's timing differs from ours.  He is limitless.

To be a disciple, we must drop everything if God asks us to.  He is our number One.  We must be able to move when instructed, and having a house makes this difficult.  We must be willing to put God before our family as well.  Not that God doesn't value a home or families.  But, if anything comes before Him, then we love the world more and are unfit for heaven.  We must tell our loved ones that they are number two.

However, a family that puts God first makes the body of Christ strong.  (See I Corinthians 12:12-30)  The Holy Spirit moves through them and they can strengthen each other and carry each others' burdens as they do God's work.  Trust God.  He knows what He's doing.

Summary:

Jesus Calms the Storm
Verses 23-27

Jesus entered the boat with His disciples.  Without warning, a great storm hit the lake and water spilled into the boat.  Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples woke Him and asked Him to save them because they were going to drown.  Jesus asked why they, of little faith, were afraid.  He got up and rebuked the winds and waves, and they became completely calm.  The disciples were amazed and asked what kind of man Jesus was if the winds and waves obeyed Him.

Lori's Thoughts
:

This story was the subject of the sermon at my church last Saturday.  This is what I learned:
- It is quite dangerous, geographically, to be caught in a storm on a lake.
- The disciples were fishermen and understood their precarious situation.
- The disciples truly believed that they would die.  Fear is natural.  There are no atheists on a sinking ship.
- Storms will come unexpectedly in our lives: the loss of a loved one, disease, financial crises, etc.  It is natural to feel afraid.  However, we must remember who is in the boat with us.  He has the power to instantly calm the storm for us.  If God is for us, then who can be against us?
- The disciples were more afraid of Christ and His power than the storm.  Our God is greater than any disaster.  We can have peace, then, despite our circumstances.
- When rebuking the winds and waves, Christ may have been rebuking the devil, who is the prince of the air.
- We have been given authority to rebuke the devil in Christ's name.  (See Luke 10:17-20)

Summary:

The Healing of Two Demon-Possessed Men
Verses 28-34

When they reached the other side, at Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men from the tombs met them.  Their violence prevented anyone from passing.  They shouted, asking what the Son of God wanted with them; if He had come to torture them before the appointed time. 

A large herd of pigs was feeding a ways away and the demons begged Christ to let them enter them if He was going to drive them out.  Christ told them to go and the demons threw the herd over a steep bank, into the lake, where they died.  Those tending the pigs reported the healing of the men and the killing of the pigs to the town.  The whole town met Jesus and begged Him to leave their region.

Lori's Thoughts:

If the disciples weren't scared enough with the storm, here were two violent demon-possessed men approaching them from the cemetery.  That's not even remotely creepy.  (Sarcasm)  Without Jesus, the disciples probably would have been attacked.  If this happens, we can ask God to clad us with His armor (see Ephesians 6:10-18).  It seems that the demons were afraid to get too close to Jesus, since they were shouting at Him.  They acknowledged Him as the Son of God and revered Him.  If we are fully His, the devil can't touch us either.

There will come a time for their destruction (see Revelation 18 and 20).  We can use these chapters when in spiritual warfare.  At Christ's command, the demons were driven out and into the pigs.  Why did Jesus grant their request?  I think Christ was showing us that He values humans, even when we're filthy.  Also, He showed how people will reject Him for income.  Once again, Christ must come first if we are to have a relationship with Him and be saved.

*If you study the Bible daily, I recommend the following books on spiritual warfare:

"Prepare for War" and "He Came to Set the Captives Free" by Rebecca Brown, M.D.

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