Tag Archives: the book of Matthew

February 2
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“Jesus stopped and called them.  ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.   ‘Lord,’ they answered, ‘we want our sight.’   Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.  Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”  (Matthew 20: 32-34, NIV)

“They received. . . and followed him.”

Having just received sight, the two men suddenly had a lot of options not available to them in their former condition.  Suddenly, there were new places to go, people to see, and pleasures formerly denied to experience.  However, in gratitude to the One who had compassion on them when all others were unable or unwilling to help; after receiving their sight, they used both their new sight and their new insight to follow Jesus.

What is it we choose to do after we have received the one thing we’ve asked of God?  Do we choose to follow Him, or do we choose to follow our own agenda?  – Luther

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January 30
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“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’  He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 18:1-4, NIV)

To live in the kingdom of heaven (also called the kingdom of God) is to live under the authority of God.  That is, to obey God, and to have faith in God’s goodness.

As a vestige of our corrupted nature, all of us have a problem with authority.  If we do not, it is because somewhere, sometime, we made a change against our nature.

Today’s scripture reminds us that entrance into the place where God rules requires that we first “change and become like little children.” A true child is humble, obedient, trusting, inquisitive, and in the moment.  In the kingdom of heaven, the last are first; and the least are the greatest.

The kingdom of heaven is the Christian disciple’s true home.  – Luther

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January 13
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“’Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.'” (Matthew 13:45-46, NIV)

Last night, the President of the United States stood before both houses of the Congress and gave a required annual account of the State of the Union.  It was a reminder to every U. S. citizen that we live in a nation with vast resources and responsibilities.

The scriptures tell us of another sovereign entity: The Kingdom of God (also called the Kingdom of Heaven).  The state of God’s kingdom is eternally bright and stable because God is both its light and its foundation.  The inhabitants of the so-called Third World and Second World nations desire to become citizens (or, at least, residents) of the leading nations of this world; but everyone that seeks a better, brighter, and an eternally secure place is welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus described this kingdom as the prize discovered in a field that inspires its finder to sell all that he has to get the money to buy the field so that he might possess the prize for all time.  And, as we see in today’s scripture reading: The pearl merchant who finds a rare pearl of great value acts similarly.

Do we regard our place and possessions in this world of greater value than the Kingdom of Heaven?  Are we willing to forgo and to discard all of this world’s thoughts and trappings that we might, instead — in faith — claim the eternal prize?  – Luther

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