SHARING BREAD
12 Then
the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were
offended when they heard this?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Matt
15:12-14 (NIV)
We must give careful thought to our ways – put our hearts
upon our conduct – have a firm resolve regarding who is our guide or whose
words we choose to follow? It can make a
difference between being an “oak of
righteousness” or being “pulled up by the roots.” Sinfulness can spread
and increases in one’s life unless it is effectively combated by conscious
effort. Jesus alone has the Words of
eternal life:
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and
no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked
the Twelve. 68 Simon
Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. 69 We
believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69 (NIV)
5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who
trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away
from the LORD. 6 He will be
like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will
dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.” Jer 17:5-6 (NIV)
“The words of Jesus shall stand when heaven and earth shall
pass away. If you grasp only half of a
promise, you shall still find it true….His lips are most sweet, and drop with
honey still.” Charles H. Spurgeon
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.” Matt
24:34-35 (NIV)
Isaiah prophesizes regarding the coming Savior who came
seeking to make all oaks for His glory:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the
LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners, 2 to
proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to
comfort all who mourn, 3 and
provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of
praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of
righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his
splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
In our verses for today the disciples were perplexed over
Jesus’ offensive Words towards the Pharisees.
They thought it strange that their Master would say things that would
cause rife. While Jesus ever demonstrated care in His Words towards others – always sensitive
in giving the right Word at the right time being fully aware of what every
heart needed to hear, He never evaded Truth and duty for fear of offence either. Truth must always be acknowledged and duty done
and if Truth is offensive it is the fault of the hearer not the speaker of the
Truth.
The disciples
did not want the Pharisees to go away angry or displeased with Christ’s Words
and sought to have Him modify or at least explain them. Weak believers are sometimes more concerned
than they should be not to see unbelievers offended by Truth. In this fallen world, Truth will always
offend. Believers are not called to
offend, but we are called to get God’s Word – true Truth – out. In our day of tolerance, this of course is
not readily embraced - to say the least.
Like Jeremiah, it should weary us
when we hold God’s Word in:
“I am
ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and
destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day
long. 9 But
if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his
word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of
holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Jer 20:7-9 (NIV)
God gives Jeremiah (and us) the following Word:
28 “Let
the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word
speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. 29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
Jer 23:28-29 (NIV)
“Scripture is like a lion. Who ever heard of defending a lion? Just turn it loose; it will defend itself.” Charles H. Spurgeon
Do
we want to follow a blind guide or do we want to follow God?
What
I glean from this:
· God’s Word is True Truth – never changing - and is eternal.
· I must not water down Truth to make it more palatable
to hearing ears. Jesus did not do this.
· Scripture can defend itself.
