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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, March 12, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Worldly Wisdom vs Godly Wisdom Bible Verse:James 3:13-18 (ESV) "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" Message:
Unlike the earlier chapters of Matthew, Chapter 12 does not mark a thematic break from Chapter 11; it is a continuation of it. There is a chapter division purely for practical purposes — length. Of course, dividing the Bible into chapters and verses was not the work of the authors. The chapters we use were created by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, around 1220 A.D., and the verses added 300 years later.
The Jewish laws on what may be done, and what is forbidden to be done, on the Sabbath are enormous in number and minutely detailed. Suffice it to say, here, that gathering and preparing food transgressed many prohibitions.
cluny tapestry
The Pharisees naturally — and from their point of view, correctly — criticize the conduct. Jesus’ response is complex. He first gives an historical precedent from 1 Samuel 21 when David, on a mission from King Saul, ate the consecrated bread in the tabernacle. David gave, as his excuse, that he was on a holy mission.
Thus, by implication, Christ states that his disciples may bypass the Sabbath food laws, because they are (with apologies to the Blues Brothers) on a mission from God.
His second justification is similar. Priests prepared bread in the temple on the Sabbath, just as today; even the strictest Christian church will exempt the pastor or priest and his assistants from the fourth commandment. How could we worship on Sunday, if nobody could do any “work” in furtherance of the worship?
But now, Christ begins to go beyond merely claiming to be on a holy mission; he claims that where he stands is “greater than the temple.” Reading any of the Gospels, one is struck by how often Christ will hint, obliquely, that he is the Son of God, the Messiah, without directly stating it. One might infer that the time for him to be crucified has not yet come, and so he avoids a direct statement that would get him arrested for extreme blasphemy.
Christ medallion
Finally, he says “the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Christ often refers to himself as the Son of Man, and scholars have inferred at least two reasons for it. First, it is not a clear statement of his divinity. He wants his followers to understand, but not his enemies. Even very late in his ministry, people are not positive that he is referring to himself when he uses the term. (John 12:34) It’s code. So, we might infer that Christ’s real audience are those who believe in him, not the inimical Pharisees with whom He argues.
Second, He will call himself the “Son of Man” when he wants to emphasize that, for a few short years, God became a human being; that he was here among us, as one of us, born from the body of a woman and entirely human. In other words, where the living human body of Jesus is standing, God is standing. So the cornfield is as holy as the temple.
We will devote a future day to the quote, “I desire mercy . . .”, as there is much to be learned from it.
Meditation : And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Prayer : Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.....Amen |
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