Month: May 2022

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2 (Matthew 8:1-13, 11:2-19, 12:22-50, Mark 3:20-30, Luke 7:1-50, 11:14-36)

John the Baptist has been arrested and senses his death is near. He, like others, believed God would send a political advocate and conquerer. This man who was born to prepare hearts for Jesus asks, “Are you the One?”

After decades of empty ritualism the multitudes were ready to receive the perceptive and authoritative teaching of Jesus. Imagine Jesus was standing in the synagogue reading from the Scrolls, the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, Nehemiah….. knowing He was The One who gave those visions. He knew exactly what they meant and all the implications of their message. Sensing Jesus’ extraordinary power, the Pharisees ordered Jesus to perform miracles of their choosing to validate His divine nature. When He refused they accused Him of sorcery rather than crediting a Devine Son, sent to love. Jesus gave them a scathing rebuke for their unbelief and hypocrisy.

A Roman soldier sent an envoy to ask Jesus to heal a servant that was highly regarded. Jesus commended him for his faith and the man’s health was restored.  He brought a widow’s only son back from the grave. When a woman of great sin followed Jesus into a banquet, fell to her knees, bathed His feet with her tears and anointed Him, the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ authenticity because He did not send the untouchable away. Jesus offered an illustration of debts owed to teach how grace and gratitude work. And….during this time, Jesus had some minor conflicts with His own earthly family. Rather than scorn, He pointed all to the Kingdom of Heaven and the bond of the Family of God.

When John, in his sorrow and great stress, questioned his own life’s allegiances, Jesus did not condemn, but answered in great victory, by miracles in great numbers, far greater than He had to this point. When Jesus asked you to give Him every part of yourself, that means EVERY PART, including the mind that simply can’t wrap itself around the complex issues of pain, hatred, injustice and despair. Don’t be shamed or defeated. Keep your face turned toward the Son, look Him straight in the eye, pour out your honest heart, then trust and obey His answer, because you are in the good company of those such as John the Baptist.

Love,

Gretchen

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (Matthew 5-7)

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is His most instructive sermon presented. He speaks of the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, faith, repentance, worship, prayer and humility and considered anything that increases your longing for Heaven a blessing. He takes time to emphasize the importance of appropriate familial relationships, the effect of possessions on peace of mind and He deals harshly with those who are spiritually rebellious.  It is an important part of scripture and should be read often, each believer for himself.

Followers of Jesus are to be completely transformed. A goodness with no bounds turned common ideas about happiness upside down. It is not the rich who find joy and prevail, but the righteous, the forgiver, the peacemaker. This is a completely new standard, a different outlook to the standards behind the Law. Motives and intentions are the important life changing issues in the heart of man, not the grandiose actions performed for all to see. Make and keep your heart pure.

Make sure you are on the right road to eternal life. Beware of misleading representations of Jesus’ mission and guard your heart.  His perfect model for prayer is within this passage. “On earth as it is in Heaven” is not an unattainable ideology, but a state of mind and soul. Live and love as though you already reside there.

Love,

Gretchen

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:12-13

My earthly father is a pastor as am I. Although our roles look much different in living color, we enjoy talking shop, his sermons, my blog, my sermons and the sheep we shepherd. He often responds to my thoughts, expanding my understanding and giving me new and deeper insights. Not so long ago he made an inspiring point regarding my comments on the twelve disciples, specifically, Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. I am going to share a portion of the text I received, edited for flow.

Imagining the diversity of the twelve is a great lesson for the church. Our LORD was risking everything by allowing Matthew (willing to work with Rome) and Simon (despised Rome’s presence in Palestine) in the same room.  Outside of grace, had Matthew met Simon in a dark alley on a dark night, one or the other might have felt a dagger slide between his ribs. Jesus understood the broad spectrum of sin’s predicament and fashioned the church to address the mess. He still does.                                                                                                                                                Rev. J. Bryan Jones.

Love one another no matter what. Laying down a life is not just a physical act, it is every bit emotional, spiritual, and idealogical. We must take on the countenance of Jesus, the sacrifice. Opinions don’t have a place when you’re called to love. When love unifies, it changes the world!

LOVE,

Gretchen

He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.  Mark 3:14-15 ( Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:7-19, Luke 6:12-16)

The word apostle means messenger. After a long night in prayer, Jesus chose twelve men from His many followers to be His inner circle. They were the founding members of the New Kingdom, and their training was a vital part of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Spreading the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah and your sins can be forgiven was their task. Representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, no single one was from a religious establishment. They were everyday men, with everyday jobs and individual personalities, but they came together with one heart, one mind, one mission, God’s plan. Jesus warned them to expect hardship and frosty receptions, but to fear none for God will take care!

Peter and Andrew were brothers and owned a fishing partnership with James and John. This quartet was specially close to Jesus. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, but very quickly Peter, so named by Jesus, became the group’s leader. James and John were known as the Sons of Thunders. They had stormy personalities and were passionate about the mission and Love of Jesus. James was the first of the twelve to be martyred. Matthew was a tax collector, a Jew who worked for Rome and was hated by his fellow countrymen. Following his call, Jesus sat down to a meal with him and his many outcast friends.

Simon, a zealot, felt strongly that Palestine should free itself from Rome and had a nationalist, guerrilla warfare mentality. His ideology changed. The first to do the math when Jesus told His disciples to get enough food to feed 5,000 people was Philip. Ever practical, his quick finance was not a problem with God. Nathaniel and Thomas were both known for their skepticism. Grace was certainly a game changer as they found and followed a man they did not understand but trusted anyway.  Finally, Judas, Jesus’ treasurer stole regularly from the poor, but Jesus knew His role in prophecy and sacrifice and stayed the course.

These were not the honor graduates of Jerusalem Seminary. Jesus gave them credentials because of an eagerness to become what God demanded they be, and a willingness to take up His cross, go forward into the unknown and see it through with nothing but an invincible hope and steadfast faith. Spoiler alert! It was enough!

Love,

Gretchen

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working.” John 5:17 (Matthew 9:9-17, 12:1-21, Mark 2:13-3:19, Luke 5:27-6:19, John 5:1-47)

By declaring Himself the divine authority to forgive sin, Jesus aroused immediate opposition among the Jewish leaders. The Scribes and Pharisees correctly believed only God can do this, but they rejected Jesus as His Son and charged Him with blasphemy. They also questioned the absence of Jesus’ fasting during religious observances. John the Baptist fasted, as did Moses, Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets in times of stress and strain. It had it’s function in worship, strength, guidance and clarity. Fasting for the Jewish authority was an advertisement of self-righteousness. Jesus had no need or patience for this empty act.

The Law was the authority and Jesus respected it as such, but tradition and interpretation evolved through the development of the synagogue and rabbis, resulting in strict and highly ritualistic observances and ceremonial cleansing. Jesus violated these practices, not out of malicious negligence but through teaching that legalism is no substitute for the righteousness God demanded.

Jesus came to the pool of Bethesda. It was thought to have healing powers for those who were able to reach its waters when they miraculously stirred. A crippled man was lying at its edge when Jesus told him to take up his mat and walk. Wonderful! Except it was the Sabbath.  After the Law had been sifted through the minds of the theologically shallow, healing and carrying one’s mat on the day of rest were both considered work. The Pharisees condemned Jesus for this kindness. Jesus responded by commenting the words above. His Father is always about His work, 24-7-365!  The Sabbath was a gift to man with the purpose of rest and restoration in the presence of God, not a prison of 24 hours. It is always the right time to do good.

The only objective of Heaven is to heal and make YOU whole.  There is no Law or Practice that can bring you and God together aside from prayer, worship and praise! Call His name and He will answer……EVERYTIME!!! Even on the Sabbath.

Love,

Gretchen

5/25/22 

A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said, “Be clean!” Matthew 8:2-3 (Matthew 4:12-25, 8:1-17, 9:1-8, Mark 1:14-45, 2:1-12 Luke 4:14-49, 5:1-26)

Jesus did not stay in Judea, the capitol area of Palestine. Instead He went into Capernaum, along the Sea of Galilee, taking His ministry to the city streets and country roads. His favored place was the local synagogue where common men gathered to read, ponder and discuss scripture. Here He began teaching with authority and fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. His teaching focuses on repentance. One morning as He was walking along the shore, crowds began following Him, listening as He taught. He got in a fishing boat and pushed away so He could be seen and heard. After His lesson, He rowed back and directed Simeon to let down his nets in a specific place. Simeon did so and had to have assistance to bring in the massive catch. Four fishermen, Simeon, Andrew, James and John were called to set aside their profession and become fisher’s of men.

It was in the synagogue that Jesus rid a man of an evil spirit and people began following Him everywhere He went. He healed many of their diseases. Jesus arose early one morning to pray. When His disciples found Him they moved on to another area. He knew people would look to Him as a magician and call on Him to make the moment easier, rather than seek a redeemer to heal their sin and cure them for a lifetime and into an eternity. But, when a man with leprosy came forward, Jesus was moved with compassion. Leprosy was a horrible ailment that isolated its victim from friends and family. In love, Jesus touched the untouchable first, then He healed Him.

Friends brought a crippled friend before the LORD. Jesus was moved again by the faith of the companions and told the disabled man His sins were forgiven, upsetting the scribes who cried accusations of blasphemy. When Jesus made the man’s body whole, his soul was already thriving. Jesus, the all powerful, modeled the priority of spiritual soul over the physical body. What good is a healthy body if the heart does not know eternal life? 

Yes, Jesus healed thousands, but His greater mission was salvation. Our earthly life is temporal, but the soul is forever. Keep things in perspective. Resist seeking the circus act, or the magician but diligently pursue Jesus, Lamb of God, The Christ, the Great I AM!

Love,

Gretchen

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (John 1:35-4:54)

John is the only Gospel writer who tells the story of Jesus’ early ministry and just like the prophets of old, He wasted no time confronting those who profaned the sanctity of the Temple. He extended His message beyond the Jewish nation appealing to the common man by touching everyday lives.

The first disciples came through John as he pointed them to the real Lamb of God, made a confession of joy in Jesus’ deity and declared he would become less as Jesus became more. John, Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathan were named Jesus’ first partners in ministry.

By turning water into wine at His mother’s beckoning, Jesus begins His ministry of miracles. Although He was reluctant, He took part in a domestic, yet religious event that was the center of community life. This sets a precedent of a joy that accompanies Jesus’ presence in all we do. However, Jewish tradesmen use of the sacred Temple grounds for profiteering was incredibly offensive. The money changers were cheating those who were most vulnerable. After watching Jesus’ actions toward man, Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus in the dark of night. He became a believer but kept His faith a secret until all others had run away in fear and then he came forward, boldly defending Jesus.

Samaria was the archenemy of the Jewish people. These people were used to repopulate Israel when Assyria carried the Jews into bondage after the fall of Israel.  Jews had good reason to hate Samaritans, but Jesus took the road less traveled, meets a woman at Jacob’s well and offers her a life giving water that will quench her thirst for all time. Following her testimony, many Samaritans were saved.

In the earliest moments of Jesus’ ministry we see a love that permeates all parts of earthly life; domestic relationships, shame of past sins, secret questions and fear of being socially ostracized. Jesus met all of these people in their moments with eternal solutions.  Grasp and cling to His hope as if it is your only…..because it is.

Love,

Gretchen

And a voice from Heaven said, “This is my son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 (Matthew 3:1-17, 4:1-11, Luke 3:1-23, 4:1-13, Mark 1:5-13, John 1:19-34)

John was Jesus’ cousin. They must have known each other as children and been told by their mothers the miraculous events of their births. Living more like a monk rather than a priest, John had a successful ministry. He was the antithesis to the religious leaders of his day. The Pharisees and Sadducees dressed for success in elaborate prayer robes, and lived lavish life styles.  John was humble, wearing a scratchy gown of camel hide tied with a leather belt.  He ate locust and honey, but was genuine and people listened and followed.  He knew he was born to herald the event of the ages and he did just that by bringing news that a Messiah was near at hand.

Ritual bathing before worship was a common habit of the Jewish people. From this John instituted baptism as a representation of true repentance and forgiveness. As an evangelist he preached spiritual purity and strong, practical, ethical conduct in all aspects of life. As John was baptizing believers in the Jordan River, Jesus came too. What began as a ceremonial act became a dramatic confirmation of Jesus, Son of God. When Heaven opened, Jesus Himself had full understanding of all He was born to do.

Immediately following this profound event, Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray.  He knew why He left Heaven and how things must end, so Satan’s/sin’s bondage would end for all time.  After 40 days of introspection and deprivation Jesus was vulnerable to His body’s needs and His spirit’s exhaustion. Satan seized the moment and tempted Him to satisfy his physical hunger, test God’s authenticity and His own supernatural power, and access His own authority to make man do His will rather than sacrifice Himself to God’s plan. Each time Satan attacked, Jesus met Him with the very breath of God, His Word.

Through these events we see clearly that Jesus was fully man. What we read in moments He lived for over a month. He suffered and bent His will and authority for our greater good. This is only the beginning of His life of selfless sacrifice. He is worthy of honor long before He gave His life in place of ours.

Have a Great Monday,

Gretchen

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52 (Matthew 2:1-23 and Luke 2:39-52)

According to Jewish Law, every first born son was to be presented at the Temple following the period of purification, or 40 days.  At this time, the child’s parents were to offer a sacrifice of a yearling lamb and a pigeon. Jesus’ presentation reveals how very humble His earthly life was. His parents were poor, so instead of an expensive lamb, they were allowed to offer two pigeons.

Jesus’ supernatural birth came with a supernatural announcement. A brilliant star attracted the attention of astrologers/scholars from Persia. These pagan men of knowledge encountered the Messianic prophecies in their associations with the Jews of the Dispersion. They knew something spectacular was occurring and went in search of the ‘King of the Jews.’  Herod, who was suspicious of everyone, was alarmed by the Magi’s visit. In his distrust, he ordered all infant boys of Bethlehem slain. However, Joseph was forewarned, and with the valuable gifts from the wisemen, a trip and short stay in Egypt became possible. They remained until Herod died, then returned to Nazareth where Jesus became known as The Nazarene.

There is only one event in Jesus’ childhood recorded in scripture. Pentecost of His twelfth year was a special time. All Jewish boys of this age began their training in the Temple. When His family left Jerusalem to return home, Jesus was still deeply engaged in his conversations with the rabbis and was accidentally left. Three days later His worried parents found Him in the presence of His Father. It seems Mary was reminded at this time just who she was rearing and she treasured it in her heart.

There are some other known facts. Jesus had four brothers, James, Joses, Jude and Simon as well as sisters who are not named. He apprenticed as a carpenter with his earthly father. Joseph’s story ends before Jesus ministry begins, so it is surmised he died, leaving Jesus, the elder brother, as sole support for his mother and younger siblings, until He was 30 years of age, the time of spiritual leadership for Jewish men when Jesus’ ministry begins.

Little is much when God is in it, and this is especially true of these small vignettes in the life of Jesus the boy. God is sovereign, His love knows no end, He cares for those who’s trust is in Him.

Merry Everything!

Gretchen

The angel answered, “I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. Luke 1:19 (Luke 1:5-80 and Matthew 1:18-25)

A new age was dawning. Matthew and Luke are the only two Gospel writers that tell the story of Jesus’ birth and early years. The divine story is wonderfully miraculous and the human side is touching and poignant. The intimate announcements to Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah and Joseph show God’s love for the smallest details of life. Blended with time and place far beyond happenstance God’s purposeful work is comfortingly evident.

As Rome became a world power Palestine was divided into provinces. Mary and Joseph lived in the village of Nazareth in the province of Galilee. Because Rome needed a current census to know how much income they could expect from taxes and what sort of military presence they needed to maintain across the empire, Joseph was required to take his family and return to Bethlehem in Judea. The prophets Isaiah and Micah foretold these events of a virgin birth in Bethlehem 100’s of years before there was a Judea!

Bethlehem is a very special place. Long before it was the birth place of the Prince of Peace, it became the burial site of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. Ruth met Boaz and called on him to fill his obligation as her kinsman. They became the great grandparents of King David who was born and raised there, giving it the name, City of David. Jerome chose this site to write his Latin translation of scripture. But above all, because the world needed a Savior, Heaven’s Son became Man’s Salvation. And that’s why we celebrate Christmas 365/24/7.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen