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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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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 collecting daily manna), 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. Thursday, March 8, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:Jesus Speaks about John the Baptist Bible Verse:Matthew 11:1-6 (ESV) "When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”" Message:
Six Modes of Jesus' Speech
Matthew 11, in which Jesus speaks about his (and John's) ministry, demonstrates six somewhat different modes or styles in which Jesus speaks. Today's passage is spoken in a voice meant to demonstrate confidence or certainty. We can call it the “Tone of Confidence”. We see it fairly often, when Christ feels that he needs his audience to understand the certainty of what he says. Developing faith among a core of disciples was a primary, and difficult, task Christ needed to accomplish in the short time he was alive and active in his ministry.
The tone of discourse could not have a clearer example, because John's disciples ask him straight out if he is the Messiah. It is an odd question coming from John, who just a few months earlier baptized Jesus and declared him to be such. There are several possible reasons. Some have suggested that the question was for the benefit of John's disciples, not John himself.
John the Evangelist by Velazquez
We need to divert for a moment, to understand what had happened to John by now; his story is told piecemeal over the four Gospels. As we will see in Matthew 14, John has been imprisoned by Herod (“Herod Antipas”, the Herod who ruled Galilee at this time). Herod had visited his brother (also named Herod) in Jerusalem, seduced his brother's wife, and then divorced his own wife to marry the woman. John, not one to mince words, denounced Herod vitriolically, and Herod arrested him and threw him in prison to shut him up.
We must realize how painful life in a tiny, dark, windowless cell would be for John. He was the ultimate outdoorsman, a child of the open desert, living in the wilderness, eating locusts. It was like putting a wild bird in a shoebox. And he had little hope of ever seeing the sun again.
So, he had to make plans for his disciples, and very possibly, he was trying to steer them gently towards Christ. Or also possibly, he was in personal crisis; for although his faith was enormous, he was human. So perhaps he needed reassurance from Jesus, whom he could not visit, that his ministry had been fruitful. Or, perhaps, his faith was simply maturing as he looked towards oblivion.
Christ would often become demure, when asked if he were the Son of God, the Messiah; and his answer here is typically obliqueOblique: In rhetoric, a statement that proves a point indirectly; roundabout.. Instead of saying, “Yes, I am,” he recites the events that had surrounded his ministry. Matthew has taken pains to tie Jesus' miracles to ancient prophecies, and both John and John's disciples would know them and appreciate the significance of these acts.
Such a response would certainly build more confidence than a person proclaiming, “I am the Messiah.” People lie, and everyone knows that people lie. So Christ presents the facts; but he does add, gently and indirectly, a hint that those who have faith in him are blessed.
Meditation : Prayer : Oh Heavenly Father, in whom I live and move and have my being, I humbly pray you so to guide and govern me by your Holy Spirit, that in all the joys, occupations, and cares of this day I may never forget you, but remember that I am ever walking in your sight. In Christ's name, I pray,.....Amen |
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