Worry is something I have long struggled with. I’m a worrier, although I may call it “concern” or “attention” or “caution” or something similar. Whatever I might name it, it needs to be addressed in my life, and Jesus gives us some direct and pointed insights on the topic.

In this passage in Matthew 6, Jesus gives us some direct instructions about worry. There are so many things that take place in our lives that are beyond our control, and worrying about them won’t change a thing. I worry about my wife driving late at night. I worry about my older kids as they travel, as they build and form relationships, and as they seek to live as functional adults.

I worry about my younger kids as they grow into who God has called them to be. I worry about their friends, about how much time they may spend online or playing video games. I worry about their safety and health.

I worry about my job, in my role as a minister. I worry about those I cannot please, no matter what I do. I worry about those who are close to me, and my own influence upon them.

I worry. … A lot.

But Jesus says, “For this reason… do not be worried about your life” (Matthew 6:25). Do not worry. Do not be anxious. Do not dwell on this stuff. The word that Jesus uses here in Greek means “to have the mind distracted.” After all, that’s what worrying is. It’s distraction. It’s focusing on those things that we cannot change instead of what we should be focused on: the one who does have the ability to change things.

Of course, Jesus does not forbid common sense and prudent forethought. You might think of this in the same way we think about stewardship. Jesus doesn’t condemn money; he just asks us to view it the right way, and with the right motives. Our concerns and worries are the same. If we approach this with a “mind stewardship,” we may have a better grasp on how to avoid worry, and focus on Jesus instead.

Jesus tells us that God cares for the birds (verse 26) and the lilies (verses 28-29). Later, Paul tells us that God will “supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19). God knows we need food, clothes, and shelter. The one who seeks God’s Kingdom first will have his needs met, too (Psalm 37:25).

That’s all great stuff, but it still leaves the question lingering in my mind, “How do I do this? How do I set worry aside and leave it be?”

One of the best books I’ve ever read that addresses this topic is The Good And Beautiful Life, by James Bryan Smith. In this book, Smith walks through the Sermon on the Mount section by section, and his chapter on worry carried a one-two punch to my soul. He hit me right where I live.

Smith defines worry as, “a disproportionate level of concern based on an inappropriate measure of fear.” Read that again. In other words, it’s alright to be concerned or cautious, but when we move past that into the realm of worry, we are in the grip of fear of the things we cannot control.

What Jesus is asking here in this passage of Matthew is that we let go of the one thing that we feel like we can control. He’s asking us to trust that he knows what we need better than we do ourselves.

Smith puts this into perfect perspective for me later in his chapter. It’s worth quoting in full:

“Worry keeps me focused on my own limited resources. Trust keeps my attention on God’s abundant resources. This is why worry cannot exist in the kingdom of God. Worry happens when I am on the throne of my life, when I live in the kingdom of me. But we trust when God is on the throne of our lives and we live in his kingdom. That is why the solution to worrying is to seek first the kingdom.”

See what I mean? A one-two punch to the soul. As long as I am in the grip of worry, I can’t seek the kingdom. And the reverse of that is true as well. If I’m seeking the kingdom, then worry cannot have any claim on my mind and my thoughts.

And the promise here? When I allow God to be the one in control, instead of trying to wrestle that away from him, “all these things will be added to you.” He will take care of the details that would otherwise occupy my mind. It seems to me that living like this is a much better way than my own. And it seems like it will lead to more joy and confidence and trust and peace.

And that’s what I long for when I worry in the first place.

The post Worry versus Trust: What Wins? appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

Topic after topic is addressed in quick order in Matthew 6, all with the underlying instruction to not worry about such things. In this passage, Jesus tells us not to worry about our money and finances.

Jesus begins this passage on money with the words, “Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth.” This is a teaching with a sharp point to it, because we have a passion for our possessions, don’t we? Materialism is a trap that captures many, and no one is immune from it. It’s easy for us to get caught up in acquiring more and more stuff.

Much of the time, the stuff that we acquire isn’t necessarily bad in and of itself. Did you buy a guitar? It may be used for worship. Need a new and dependable car? That’s necessary for day-to-day functions, and you could use it as a ministry tool, too. And I’m sure you could think of scores of examples to add to the list. The problem really isn’t money, or even the stuff that money can buy. It’s the motives behind the money issues that are really at the root of things.

Our passion for stuff shouldn’t lead us to hoard it for selfish reasons. Why not? Because it won’t last anyway. Moths eat clothes. Rust destroys cars. Stuff decays and deteriorates. And our stuff can easily become an idol if we aren’t careful.

An excellent example of this is found in the story of Achan, in Joshua 7. The people of Israel are beginning to take over the Promised Land, and are told to destroy the first city, Jericho, completely. They are to take nothing away from it as spoils except for the family of Rahab (Joshua 6:17-19). Achan disobeys this command and steals a few things that capture his eye. As a result, Israel is defeated at the next city they go up against, Ai. When God reveals his sin, and the leaders of Israel confront him, he says, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Joshua 7:20-21, ESV).

As you read through the rest of Joshua 7, you’ll see his sin is dealt with quickly and decisively.

Money isn’t to be regarded as something to be hoarded or used to purchase possessions to be hoarded. Our money and possessions are something that we should steward well so that we will be found trustworthy in God’s eyes (1 Corinthians 4:2).

So Jesus offers an alternative perspective on the use of money. He says, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” When we use our resources with a Kingdom mindset, and for Kingdom purposes, they build “treasure” in heaven that cannot be destroyed by moths or rust. Such treasure lasts for eternity.

And the reason for this teaching? Once again, it all comes down to motives. Jesus states, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Money has a way of infiltrating our heart easily, and we need to watch and be aware of its pervasive nature, so that we can keep our focus on those things that are eternal.

That’s where our heart really needs to be.

The post Money And The Heart appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

After discussing prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus turns to the topic of fasting. This is a discipline that many Christians often neglect, but it has significant benefits to our growth.

It seems as if Jesus makes an assumption here, just as he does with the topics of prayer and giving. He says, “When you fast…” Not if you fast. The initial context here is that the Pharisees fasted, and Jesus expected his followers to do so as well. But he has to differentiate between how that was supposed to look for his followers. The Pharisees performed this spiritual discipline in a hypocritical fashion, seeking to be noticed for their supposed piety. Jesus urges his disciples to avoid that trap, and to pursue this for different motives.

If that’s the case, then just what is fasting, and how do we do it?

Different Types of Fasts in the Bible

The Bible describes at least three different kinds of fasts, and I believe that it implies a fourth type as well. These are different ways that we can approach the discipline of fasting.

First of all, there is what we might call the Regular Fast. This is when someone drinks liquids but doesn’t eat food. This is the fast most often found in the Bible, and is the most common style of fasting.

The second type of fast is an Absolute Fast. This is when someone abstains from eating or drinking anything at all. This is very likely what David did as he was praying for his son, the baby of Bathsheba, who died in 2 Samuel 12. This is the kind of fast that Jesus experienced in the wilderness for 40 days. For you and me, an absolute fast should be kept short. Denying our body liquids could result in serious dehydration very quickly, and so this type of fast should be very carefully considered and practiced.

A third type of fast is what many might call a Daniel Fast. This is more of a partial fast from certain foods and drink. Daniel skipped wine, meat, and rich food, so most people skip things like meats and sweets. When Daniel and his friends ate only vegetables, they stayed in better health than the others who were being groomed for the king’s service. Note, though, that they didn’t fast for the health benefits, but in order to honor God.

While those three are the primary types of fasting that we can see clearly in Scripture, there is the possibility or the suggestion of a fourth. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-13, we read:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food…”

This passage is found in the context of abstaining from sexual immorality, but I think it gives us the principles of another type of fast as well. A 1 Corinthians 6 Fast is fasting from those things that dominate us, steal our time, or take us away from God. It may be fasting from the internet, or television. It may be a sinful habit that we need to let go of finally and for good. Just like with food and drink, abstaining from such things requires saying no to our “flesh.”

Principles to Keep In Mind When Fasting

When fasting, there are a few principles that can help us to maintain the proper perspective.

First, fast seriously. This is between you and Jesus. It’s not about losing weight, or lowering your cholesterol. This is not about gaining prestige or reputation as the Pharisees did. This is all about submitting your life to Jesus.

Second, keep an attitude of humility in your fasting. Put all your focus on God. This is about filling your life with him, not with more of you.

Third, listen while you fast. Seek God’s voice and God’s direction. Keep a journal handy so you can write down thoughts and ideas that God may be telling you. Keep your Bible handy, and spend some time there, listening to his voice as he speaks through those Words. Keep your spirit in tune with the Holy Spirit and be aware of his nudging and leading.

And finally, fast in expectation. God will work in your life. He will. When you submit yourself to him, he moves. So keep your eyes open and pay attention to what he will do.

Above all, remember that fasting is one of the ways in which we seek to put Jesus first in our lives. This is a spiritual discipline, and its purpose is to grow closer to Jesus, and to grow in faith and spiritual maturity as we follow him. Seek him above all else.

The post When You Fast appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

Matthew 6 contains some of the best known teaching of Jesus on the topic of prayer, and in it, Jesus gives us an example of how to pray in The Lord’s Prayer.

All through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches with the use of contrasting statements: This is what we should do, versus this is what we shouldn’t do. This is exactly what he does with the topic of prayer in Matthew 6:5-15.

To start off, Jesus gives an example of the wrong way to pray, and tells his followers not to be like the hypocrites. These are people who make a public show of their piety for the reason of drawing attention to themselves. Their motives are wrong. Their desire was to be seen by others, and not to have a conversation and communion with God. That’s what the hypocrites do. The word “hypocrite” is an old word for actor, or one who impersonates another. It was used to describe someone who pretended to be someone else, or who wore a mask. It was used originally to describe actors on a stage, but came to mean anyone who was pretending to be something he is not…And it’s not usually used in a good sense.

Instead, Jesus suggests that we go to an inner room, someplace where we can withdraw from the world, shut out the distractions, and commune with God. Find a private place to pray, and don’t draw attention to yourself from others. The only attention you should be after is that of God. And when you withdraw, speak to him genuinely, and from the heart. Why? Because God already knows what’s on your heart. So just talk to him about it.

Then Jesus gives his followers a model prayer to follow. He doesn’t expect us to simply repeat this word for word all the time, even though that’s alright to do. What Jesus intends this to be is a pattern. These are some of the elements that we should include in prayer. First, it looks to the Kingdom of God, and then second, it looks to our earthly needs.

To begin, Jesus instructs us to direct our hearts towards the goodness of God, to focus on his holiness and glory. He teaches us to be looking for his Kingdom to come, and to prioritize that over our own desires. He urges us to seek God’s will over our own.

Next, Jesus turns the focus of the prayer onto our human needs, things like our need for daily food, our need for forgiveness and our need to forgive others, and our need to avoid temptation. These are the things we should seek.

Note especially the pronouns in this prayer: “Our… us… our… us… our… we… our… us… us…” There is not a single first-person singular pronoun. They are all plural. We cannot pray the prayer alone – it has no room for selfishness. I can be alone, with God, and pray, but I must have the whole world on my heart! In other words, this is not about me… It never is.

There is a lot more that could be said about this passage, and a lot more that we could dig out of it. But allow me to encourage you in this: Learning about prayer is good, but it is no substitute for just praying. We can examine and study and read about prayer all day long, and there is a significant amount of excellent information out there about prayer. But none of it is a good substitute for simply putting this discipline into action.

So, just pray. And watch to see how God responds in your life. I suspect you’ll be amazed.

The post Watch How You Pray appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

Matthew six is the second part of Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. In this section, Jesus tells his listeners to watch certain areas of their lives: their giving, their praying, and their fasting.

Jesus begins this section of Matthew 6 with the phrase, “Take care,” which carries the force of, “Beware.” That immediately tells us that this is an area of our lives that we need to keep a close watch on so that we do not go astray. And, as with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus doesn’t just deal with our actions, he deals with the motives and attitudes behind them. He gets to the root, and in the case of our giving, if the root motive isn’t right, it won’t be long before we are off course.

The next thing that is interesting is the connection between giving and righteousness. The Pharisees had several outward expressions of their righteousness, and Jesus address three of them in this chapter: the giving of charitable alms, prayer and fasting. But when they are performing the acts of righteousness for show, so that others can see how pious they are, their root motives are wrong.

But don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying here. He is not saying that others should not see any of our righteousness, or that we must keep it hidden, he’s condemning those whose motives is to be seen by others. The fruit of our life must be displayed, so that others can see Christ in our actions, but our motive must be pleasing to God first and foremost.

In the first century, the Pharisees would perform their acts of giving in very public places, often announcing it with a small silver trumpet before handing our small charitable gifts to the poor and to those who might be injured, blind, or otherwise relegated to the level of begging for their daily needs. Jesus says that those who pretended to be pious in this way “have their reward in full.” Jesus calls this hypocrisy, which is rooted in a Greek word that meant someone who acted a part on a stage, or one who wears a mask.

Jesus offers a better way. Giving to those less fortunate was a prominent part of Jewish life and faith, and we should be willing to give to those in need as well (See Acts 9:36, Acts 10:2, Galatians 2:10). But Jesus says that we should give in a way that does not announce it to the world around us, almost as if we were giving in secret. Why? Because the root of our motives is what we should be concerned with.

If we give so that others think better of us, then we already have our reward. But if we give because of our love for God, regardless of what others may or may not think about it, we find ourselves doing so with the proper motives. When others see that we give, that can be an encouragement and an example to them to give as well. But if we do so with improper motives, it won’t be long before others see that for what it really is.

Notice what Jesus promises in Matthew 6:4. Instead of worldly notoriety, Jesus promises that God sees our giving, and he will reward that in the appropriate time.

That is indeed a better motive!

The post Keep An Eye On Your Giving appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

Matthew 5, the first of the three chapters of the Sermon on the Mount, wraps up with what seems to be a few odds and ends. But they are critically important topics that address how we interact with God and with others… which has been a theme throughout most of Matthew 5.

Many people have found various themes that run through these three chapters of Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. Many of them seem to be obvious, others not so much. But throughout Matthew 5, it is hard to miss the recurring theme of relational topics. Jesus seems to focus on our relationships with other people in this section, and will move on to our relationship with the Father in Matthew 6.

Just as in previous passages, each of these last three topics begins with the familiar phrase, “You have heard that it was said…” Jesus is drawing from the vast quantity of instruction to be found in the Old Testament, of which his hearers would have been intimately aware.

Making Oaths – Matthew 5:33-37

While many of Jesus’ statements are rooted in a specific Old Testament passage, this one isn’t. However, it hits on a principle found in many different places in the Old Covenant, and Matthew’s readers would make the connections easily. The Law required one to faithfully fulfill his oaths, and enforced strict penalties for those who did not. If you gave your word, you should stick to it and follow through.

The need for an oath was a reminder of our fallen nature. Before sin, trustworthiness was the default setting for mankind. But after sin entered the world, dishonesty and falsehood became common, and oaths became a means of adding security to a declaration or promise. As time progressed, the nation of Israel developed an elaborate system of oaths and vows.

In Matthew 5, Jesus condemns this system. He rejects the hierarchy of vows that were fully binding and others that were less binding. Jesus states that we should simply use a “yes” or a “no.” Such simple statements should reflect our integrity and character, making oaths obsolete and unnecessary. If your character is Kingdom oriented, you shouldn’t need anything more.

Getting Even – Verses 38-42

Next, Jesus moves to the topic of retaliation. This is again an integrity issue. How do you respond when you’ve been injured? Kingdom character dictates that you make responses in keeping with Jesus’ desires for our spiritual maturity.

In the Old Covenant, it was “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” The Law allowed recompense in an equal measure for how you may have been wronged. This law is still widely in use in various parts of the world today, but it’s not ideal. It suggests a reality where violence and injustice are common and accepted, providing for an equal measure of retribution in keeping with the crime.

Jesus, again, completely rejects this idea, and gives an alternative that seems to be totally opposite of retribution. He suggests that you “turn the other cheek,” and “go the extra mile.” This was unheard of in New Testament times. When someone slapped you, it was insulting, and you immediately felt the need to retaliate. When a Roman soldier forced you to carry his equipment for a mile — as Roman law permitted — you would immediately feel resentment and outrage.

What Jesus suggests is counter-cultural from the world’s perspective, but is fully Kingdom minded. Who cares what might happen to you? In a Kingdom mindset, personal revenge isn’t in our hands; it’s in Jesus’ hands. So we can trust that he will deal with the wrongs done to others in his timing. This is not to suggest that we remain defenseless and weak, but it does require that we consider our responses in light of Christ’s teachings rather than our own anger.

Getting Over It – Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus wraps up Matthew 5 with a statement that is partially in the Old Testament and partially found in the traditions of the elders, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” The first part is found in the Old Testament Law, but the second part is not. A study through the Old Testament reveals that the Israelites were called to love their enemies (see Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 25:22; Romans 12:20).

Jesus calls us again to a Kingdom standard, above that which the Law “allowed.” He calls us to love our enemies. He commands us to pray for those who hate us and persecute us. That’s not easy to do, but it is the avenue of integrity and Kingdom thinking.

And who is your neighbor? Jesus answered that as well, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:29-37. Take a moment and go read that passage.

What Jesus states, and Matthew records, isn’t easy to do. It’s much easier to make a vow by something other than our own integrity. It’s much easier to retaliate, or at least hold a grudge. It’s much easier to seek retribution and to get even. But what Jesus calls us to is better. He says that we need to let it go, and let him take care of it. Justice is his to distribute, and he will at the proper time.

Our job is to follow him, keeping him centrally focused in how we interact with other people. Matthew 5 gives us many places to start as we seek to live in a Kingdom minded way.

The post Get Even Or Get Over It? The End Of Matthew 5 appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

My kids typically sleep in a little more than most. And that has been a blessing in a few different ways. Especially at Christmas time.

We homeschool our kids, and because of that, we can begin our day on a little different schedule than many families. That enables us to allow them to stay up a little later than some, and it results in the fact that they sleep in a little later than many kids do.

That’s a fact that my wife and I enjoy, especially at Christmas time. I’m typically an early riser, and most of the time, I am in my office at the church before most of our kids are even awake. More often than not, even my wife is still snatching the opportunity to sleep a little more before the day’s chaos begins.

But at Christmas, I don’t head off to the office, I stay at home. I’m still up early. I shower and dress, and then I sit down with a cup of coffee and my Bible.

It’s quiet. It’s almost eerily quiet. I know that, soon enough, everyone will be awake, and then it will become crazy around our home while we begin the Christmas festivities and traditions that we enjoy.

But for a time, I enjoy the peace and quiet.

It reminds me of another time of silence. The people of Israel had, for centuries, been in a cycle of faithfulness, which eventually led to rebellion, followed by oppression, resulting in repentance and a return to faithfulness. This had gone on from the time of the Exodus all the way through to the periods of exile to Assyria and Babylon.

And then… Silence.

For more than four hundred years, it seemed as if God wasn’t speaking to the Israelites any longer. The last of the prophets had spoken centuries earlier, and nothing had been heard since then.

Had God actually been completely silent? I have a hard time really believing that. I suspect that people could see God’s presence in the little day to day blessings that they experienced, much like we can today. If God had actually shut down all communication with his people, what kept them going for those four centuries?

I suspect he still was visible to those who were looking, and could be seen in little things. I can see this in the expectation of Zechariah as he served in the temple as a priest (Luke 1:5-23). He performed his duties as a priest with the expectation that God was pleased with their worship. Had his attitude been wrong, I’m not sure God would have chosen him to be the father of John the Baptist.

But as far as the nation goes, God had been silent. No word had been heard from him to his people. It was quiet. Almost eerily quiet.

Until God spoke to Zechariah, and then, a few months later, the silence was shattered by a baby’s cry. The peaceful scene we imagine in that stable in Bethlehem was probably anything but peaceful. Babies aren’t typically know to be overly peaceful, unless they’re sleeping.

No, their peace and quiet was replaced with chaos and craziness as they struggled to learn how to be new parents.

But their peace and quiet was also replaced with another peace… a greater peace.

In Luke 2, we read of the angels making the announcement of this spectacular birth to some shepherds who were watching their sheep in the field near Bethlehem. Listen to part of what they said to these shepherds:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, ESV)

My kids eventually wake up on Christmas morning. My peace and quiet is shattered. We begin the process of driving them nuts by making them wait until after we eat breakfast together, and read some of the Nativity story together, before we allow the chaos of Christmas morning to begin.

But even then, the peace that Christ accomplished pervades even the noisiest of homes. The silence may not last as long as we might like….

But the peace does.

The post The Silence Of Christmas appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

I am really good at imagining a lot of “what if” style scenarios. I must have an overactive imagination, I’m not sure. I can come up with a variety of scenarios that spark my thinking. What would it have been like if it had happened this way? Christmas is a prime example of this.

This displays itself mostly in those moments after a verbal exchange with someone. I can be thinking about it later and that’s when the perfect rejoinder appears in my mind. Mostly, it’s far too late to do anything about it, but my mind works along those channels sometimes.

I do this with biblical stuff too. I ask questions like, “Why did God do it that way? What if he had done it like this instead?” And most of the time, in situations like these, I end up at the somewhat unsatisfying conclusion of, “Well, that was just God’s timing.” Or, “That was God’s design.”

I don’t like that conclusion. It seems to be a cop out. But there are many times when that seems to be the only answer I’m going to get.

Take the birth of Christ, for example. Why did God choose to send his Son as a baby at the specific time that he did? I can think of several eras that I might have chosen instead. And so my mind wanders of into the land of “what if…” What if Christmas was different?

What if the promised descendant of David had come to earth in David’s own era? Maybe not in his lifetime, but certainly within the next generation or two? Israel experienced a level of peace and prosperity during the reign of David’s son, Solomon, like no other period in their history. Wouldn’t it have made sense to send a promised descendant at a time like that? When it was fresh on their minds from hearing the promises made to King David?

Or what about a more recent example? Why couldn’t God have chosen a period of time like the Middle Ages to send the promised Messiah? The world was reeling from the impact of a disastrous plague, the Crusades had an effect on world cultures that is still evident, even today. Wouldn’t that be a time when the arrival of God’s own Son could have made a tremendous impact on the world?

But neither of those – or the myriads of other scenarios I can imagine – were how or when God chose to enter into humanity. He chose a time that followed over four centuries of spiritual silence. He chose to enter into this world at a place that seemed to be the backwaters of civilization. Why did God choose to do Christmas in this way? How does that even make sense?

I don’t know if I can provide the satisfying answers that I want to find. What I do know is that this time, when God entered into the world as Jesus, as a baby born in a stable in Bethlehem, has had such an impact upon all the ages. So much so that history itself had been split into BC and AD at the time of his life… At this time of Christmas.

Why this time? Why this place? Why this manner?

I don’t know for sure. What I do know is this:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4-7, ESV)

The time that God chose to send his Son into this world was just the right time. And it fulfills more than one promise. It satisfies the promise made to David that his descendant would reign forever. And it satisfies the promise made to Abraham that all peoples of the earth would be blessed because of him. That, in fact, because of Christ, I can be adopted into God’s very own family!

It’s a series of promises made at the right time, and it accomplishes so much.

And so, even though I might imagine a lot of “what if” scenarios, in this case, I can be satisfied with the knowledge that Paul shares with us that God’s timing was the right timing.

That night, so long ago in that little town of Bethlehem, was the right night to save the world.

The post The Timing Of Christmas appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

The next two topics addressed in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew both are centered on relationships. One is internal, and the other is more external.

Many of the topics that Jesus address in this passage are topics that are covered in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Jewish people would have known these laws and rules quite well, and the Pharisees were known for keeping the Law to the letter as perfectly as they could. However, Jesus turns all of that upside down and makes the keeping of rules a matter of the heart.

He did that clearly with the topic of murder and anger. Now he turns to a couple of more intimate relational topics: adultery and divorce.

Adultery and Lust – Matthew 5:27-30

The first topic is an area that many have fallen ever since the beginning of time. Sexual immorality has been a sin that has destroyed the marriages of many, and shows no signs of slowing. In New Testament times, the Jewish rabbis taught that adultery was only an external, physical act, and if a man did not commit a specific act of adulterous immorality, he bore no guilt.

But Jesus doesn’t settle for just the external. He desires our hearts to be changed; and he knows that if the heart is filled with impure desires, then that is no different that committing the act itself physically. The outward act of adultery, just like the outward act of anger, is rooted in the heart. Lust begins internally, and moves to the outside as it grows.

Jesus knows that our eyes can cause us to trip up in this area. That’s why the pornography industry is so dangerous; we are tempted to think that just because we aren’t acting, we aren’t sinning. But Jesus is clear. Sin begins in the heart. It’s not just the action itself.

This is such a big issue for us that Jesus makes a very bold statement. “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away… If your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away (Matthew 5:29-30). These are vivid images, and I doubt if Jesus intends us to take them literally. But the present a powerful cry for us to master our temptations by removing whatever causes us to stumble. Jesus isn’t encouraging us to mutilate our bodies, but he does want us to control ourselves against sin as much as possible. In other words, it is better to suffer because of self-denial than to end up in hell because of a lack of self-control.

Marriage and Divorce – Verses 31-32

The second relational topic Matthew tells us of is closely related to the first, and yet different enough to warrant some specific instructions. Jesus addresses the issue of divorce. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 addresses God’s Law concerning this:

When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 2 and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

Jesus again ties this to the heart. And this isn’t the only time he addresses the topic. He returns to it again in Matthew 19:8-9 and gives some more insight:

He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

The Law permitted divorce in some instances, but Jesus limits this to cases of unfaithfulness, and then states that if either the husband or wife remarries, they are committing adultery. God’s design is for man and woman to marry, and remain married. Divorce breaks the marriage bond that is created between a husband and wife.

Although this is a topic that is sticky and difficult to define in a culture like ours, and divorce is common, Christ’s intent is clear: marriage is meant to be a permanent bond, and desires that we seek to make him the foundation in our marriages. When we do that, we build relationships that can stand, and we honor God in the process.

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After the Beatitudes at the beginning of Matthew 5, the rest of the chapter is filled with short snippets of texts that are very familiar to our ears. The first one that Jesus addresses is the topic of anger.

“You have heard it said…” That’s how Jesus introduces many of these topics. And for most of his hearers, they had heard it said. They would have been very familiar with the Mosaic Law, and for those who were part of the Council, the Sanhedrin, they would have been intimately familiar with it. They knew it frontwards and backwards. But they were missing the point.

Moses had given them this Law, and had done so while the nation of Israel was encamped around Mount Sinai, after the exodus from Egypt. But even though it came through Moses, he wasn’t the author… God was.

Jesus is about to turn their understanding of both the Law and its Author completely upside down.

He takes a phrase that they would have known well, “You shall not commit murder” (Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21), and completely reinterprets it. Murder was wrong, God had told them so when the Law was given.

But Jesus then states, “But I say to you…” He gives a new understanding of the Law. And he does it with the forceful authority of the Lawgiver, God himself. His hearers, especially those in the religious council, would have heard both messages quite clearly: Jesus was giving them a new understanding of the passage, and he was claiming to be God in the process.

What does Jesus say about this passage? That not only is murder wrong, but the attitude that leads to murder is also wrong. He takes it from an external action and moves it into the realm of the heart. Now, it’s not just murder that is against God’s Law, it’s the anger that festers in our hearts and can lead to such actions.

Anger, and the expression of it in our lives, should be guarded against. Jesus says that even the term “raca” is to be avoided. This is a term of contempt, and means empty, or worthless, or even good for nothing. Such an attitude should be guarded against in our lives. Jesus says that it’s heavy enough to be brought before the highest of courts. And then he adds that calling someone a fool, deserves the punishment of Gehenna, or a “fiery hell.”

Why so forceful? Because Jesus knows that the actions we perform externally have their source in our hearts. And if we want to become more like Jesus, then we have to address the root issues, and not just the external portions of such things. That’s how important this is, and we tend to smile at this and then ignore it.

It’s such a deep heart issue that it even affects our worship. Jesus gives us some instruction here to help us make the next step. He says, “first be reconciled, and then come back to worship God” (Matthew 5:23-24). When we harbor hatred and anger towards another person, we are unable to offer acceptable worship to God. It’s that simple.

This passage from Matthew is a passage that we need to take to heart today. Our world is so divided, so offended, so angry. How can we blast our fellow man — on social media, or even in person — and then think that nothing is wrong when we go to church to worship God? How can we ignore such a vast discrepancy between these two areas in our lives?

I believe that if we are going to be effective in presenting Jesus to the world, then we need to get a handle on our anger.

So where do we start? Right here… With me. With you.

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