Burunche’s Blog

Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

We are continuing to progress through the Beatitudes, remembering that each blessing builds on those preceding it.

Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, (righteousness) for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

This is an amazing promise! When people are truly peacemakers, they will be called the children of God. Why? God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace. The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace. When Jesus was counseling his disciples the night before he died, he said, “I give you peace.” There’s no substitute for God’s peace, for when we experience it, our hearts are at rest.What does it take to be a peacemaker? To truly be a peacemaker, you must realize that you are spiritually poor, you must grieve over unrighteousness, you must be humble, you must passionately seek justice, you must be merciful and God must purify your heart.

Peacemakers can come from a variety of places. The Liberian women’s peace movement, initiated in 2003, played a crucial role in ending the Second Liberian Civil War. Led by women like Leymah Gbowee, this grassroots movement united women from various backgrounds to advocate for peace through non-violent protests and activism.

Key Aspects of the Movement

• Formation: The movement emerged in response to the prolonged violence and instability in Liberia, which had lasted for 14 years and resulted in significant loss of life and displacement.
• Non-Violent Protests: Women organized sit-ins, marches, and other forms of peaceful demonstration, emphasizing their demand for peace and stability.
• International Recognition: The movement gained global attention, leading to the involvement of international bodies and support for their cause.
• Impact: Their efforts contributed to the eventual signing of a peace agreement in 2003, which ended the civil war and led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s first female president. (AI summary)

What dangers these women faced as they worked to bring peace to their country can only be imagined. Being a peacemaker can be a very dangerous thing as the story of one set of friends testifies. Several years ago, we worked in a Catholic mission hospital with a delightful colleague who was a Rwandan Ob/Gyn specialist.  Prior to coming to Ghana, this doctor had trained in Europe, and he and his family had come to Ghana at the invitation of the local bishop. The Rwandan Civil War that raged from 1990-1994 involved a continuing struggle between the Tutsi’s and the Hutu’s. Eventually 800,000 people would die. Horrified at the carnage, my friend who was a peace-loving Hutu, did everything he could to bring peace, even writing a book pleading for peace between the two groups. Sadly, my friend’s pleas not only fell on deaf ears, but he and his wife and six children found themselves in danger from radicals on both sides of the conflict. This family had to leave Rwanda to survive. Eventually, the family settled permanently in Ghana.

Being a peacemaker is a dangerous business, for many times, hotheads from both sides of a dispute not only refuse to listen to reason but will come together long enough to turn and attack the very people attempting to bring peace. The second the would-be peacemaker has been eliminated, the two sides will resume fighting. Our Rwandan friends have remained exiles to avoid being slaughtered.

Becoming a true peacemaker is not an easy calling. We must examine our own hearts. Why do we want peace? Do we truly want lasting peace for the sake of all those involved or do we have some other ulterior motives that we are unwilling to acknowledge?

One challenge to would-be peacemakers is this: Why do you want peace? Are you truly interested in bringing peace or are you merely trying to remove an irritation and make things more comfortable for yourself? Many times, families do everything they can to avoid conflict, not because they really want peace but because an authority figure in the family doesn’t want to face issues or wants things to look good in public. In such situations, there is strong pressure to avoid bringing up issues that should be thoroughly discussed, lest an influential person become distraught. Such fight-phobia can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings as children struggle to please parents whose mantra is “Don’t bring me no bad news!” Sadly, a failure to address issues head-on can lead to decades of tension with alarming results. In one family of our acquaintance, the matriarch insisted that two family members were working “like a single man;” meanwhile, a conflict was raging that nearly split the family.

The world needs people who are really peacemakers, who will face issues head-on, and who will work quietly, persistently, and prayerfully. Jesus said that peacemakers will be blessed. But as the example of our Rwandan friends illustrates, you can be a true peacemaker and find yourself in danger. Jesus said peacemakers will be blessed, but he did not say they will be safe!

This morning we are praying the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

David Guzik tells us, “In the ancient Greek, the phrase pure of heart has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity. There can be two ideas connected to this. One is of inner moral purity as opposed to the image of purity or ceremonial purity. The other idea is of a single, undivided heart – those who are utterly sincere and not divided in their devotion and commitment to God.”

Many of those people on that hillside thought they knew how to purify their hearts. An AI search tells us: In Jesus’ day, purification involved various rituals and practices rooted in Jewish law and tradition.

Ceremonial Washings

• Ritual Baths (Mikvah): Jews practiced immersion in a mikvah, a ritual bath, to achieve spiritual purity, especially before significant religious events or after certain impurities.
• Hand Washing: Before meals and after contact with the dead or unclean objects, washing hands was a common practice to maintain ritual cleanliness (Mark 7:3-4).

Sacrificial Offerings

• Animal Sacrifices: Purification often required sacrifices, such as lambs or doves, to atone for sins and restore purity (Leviticus 1-7).

Spiritual Cleansing

• Repentance and Prayer: Spiritual purification was emphasized, where individuals sought forgiveness through prayer and repentance, aligning with Jesus’ teachings on inner purity (Mark 7:18-23).

Community Practices

• Festivals and Rituals: During festivals like Passover, communal purification rituals were observed, reinforcing collective spiritual cleanliness among the people.

The Greek and Roman members of the audience had slightly different rituals.

Greeks and Romans practiced various purification rituals during Jesus’ time, often involving water and oil.

Water Rituals

• Bathe for Cleansing: Bathing was a common practice for physical and spiritual purification. Public baths were prevalent, where individuals would wash themselves to maintain hygiene and ritual cleanliness.
• Water Fountains: In early Christian practices, water fountains (cantharus) became standard in courtyards, allowing the faithful to purify themselves before entering sacred spaces.

Use of Olive Oil

• Oiling Rituals: Olive oil was used not only for nourishment but also for cleansing and healing. Greeks and Romans applied oil during bathing as part of their health regimes, believing it had purifying properties.
• Sacred Anointing: Oil was also used in religious rituals, such as anointing priests and kings, signifying holiness and purification.

As those sitting on the hillside heard this pronouncement by Jesus, they might have become frustrated and discouraged Within the audience, there were Jews, Greeks, Romans, and others who had spent large amounts of time and money in purification rituals, only to realize that they still felt dirty inside. As Jesus was speaking, some of these people might have been musing to themselves, “So what? I’ve done everything my religion demands, and nothing has helped.” The good news for those people was that Jesus was going to give them information they could use, not mere platitudes.

In an earlier age, there was a saying about self-made people that they had pulled themselves up by their own boot straps. But really, that action is impossible, for a person’s weight would keep their boot soles on the floor.

The difference between what Jesus was teaching and what his audience had heard in other places was that God could do what people could not. God could clean people up, making their hearts pure; moreover, God WANTED to clean people’s hearts so that they could see Him. God WANTED to have friendship with those people.

I have found myself severely troubled by a new app being advertised that promises to motivate “high-functioning procrastinators” to accomplish goals. Why am I concerned? The more responsibility we hand over to an AI-generated application, the less we are likely to seek God, for we will assume the app is an adequate substitute. We hope that by paying a subscription and following the prompts on an app, we will somehow become perfect. But here’s the problem: There are no substitutes for the One True Living God. Today, why not turn away from apps that promise they will perfect you and pray to the only One in the Universe who can actually make you pure?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please purify our hearts so that we can see You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Luke 6:37-38“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

The crowd on the hillside is becoming confused. This preacher from Galilee is talking about being merciful; meanwhile, his listeners are remembering all the times they have found themselves oppressed by the systems that control their lives. Poverty has ground many of these people down to the nub. Even the wealthy members of the audience are not immune, for everybody struggles under the draconian laws of the Romans. Even top Roman politicians struggle, for if they fail to please their superiors, they might find themselves exiled to some forgotten corner of the Empire.

When we study the Beatitudes, we must realize that each precept builds on the one preceding it.

3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, (righteousness) for they will be satisfied.

Why does Jesus list these attributes in this order? You must recognize your spiritual poverty before God can move in your life. Once you are willing to confess that you are a sinner and there’s nothing you can do to earn your way into heaven, then God can begin to change you.

Moved by the plight of children on a Korean island, missionary statesman Bob Pierce prayed, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” This led him to found World Vision International in 1950 and Samaritan’s Purse in 1970 to help meet needs in the Name of Jesus Christ. Pierce had acknowledged his spiritual poverty and allowed God to change him. Now Pierce was mourning over the state of those desperately needing help.

 Pastor Richard Halverson , the 60^th Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, wrote that Pierce “prayed more earnestly and importunately than anyone else I have ever known. It was as though prayer burned within him. … Bob Pierce functioned from a broken heart.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pierce

Commenting on this Beatitude, David Guzik says:

a. Blessed are the merciful: When this beatitude addresses those who will show mercy, it speaks to those who have already received mercy. It is mercy to be emptied of your pride and brought to poverty of spirit. It is mercy to be brought to mourning over your spiritual condition. It is mercy to receive the grace of meekness and to become gentle. It is mercy to be made hungry and thirsty after righteousness. Therefore, this one who is expected to show mercy is one who has already received it.

· The merciful one will show it to those who are weaker and poorer.

· The merciful one will always look for those who weep and mourn.

· The merciful one will be forgiving to others, and always looking to restore broken relationships.

· The merciful one will be merciful to the character of other people, and choose to think the best of them whenever possible.

· The merciful one will not expect too much from others.

· The merciful one will be compassionate to those who are outwardly sinful.

· The merciful one will have a care for the souls of all men.

b. For they shall obtain mercy: If you want mercy from others – especially God – then you should take care to be merciful to others. Some people wonder why God showed such remarkable mercy to King David, especially in the terrible ways in which he sinned. One reason God gave him such mercy was because David was notably merciful to King Saul, and on several occasions was kind to a very unworthy Saul. In David, the merciful obtained mercy.

Many of us struggle with emotional baggage we have picked up in our families of origin. While our parents might have made sure we were fed, clothed, housed, and sent to school, they may have been merciless in their anger and their criticisms. The scars from emotional abuse aren’t as obvious as those from physical abuse, but they can be just as deforming. Sadly, unless God changes us, we will be just as merciless to those around us.

What do we do when we realize that inside we are merciless? How do we break that vicious cycle? 1 John 1:8-9 gives us the answer. “8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Recently, we took our car through an automated car wash, and it was a revelation. Huge rotating brushes, pipes spouting soap, water, and even car wax, cleaned our vehicle far more thoroughly than we could have done. In the same way, God through His Holy Spirit can clean us completely, even including the parts of our hearts where we hide pet sins we refuse to acknowledge. We cannot clean ourselves up. But God can. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are merciless and have no means of changing ourselves. But You have promised in Your Word that You will forgive us and cleanse us from all wickedness. Please forgive us, clean us up, and help us to be merciful to all those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (filled).

Unless you are living under a rock or have chosen to be a hermit, you find yourself continually exposed to evil in multiple forms. Recently, I viewed a short video warning parents of the dangers of allowing their children to post innocent things on the internet because their photos could be copied, altered, and inserted into pornography using AI. Some kids have even committed suicide when they have found themselves targets of such deplorable activity. Missionaries working with Muslims realize posting photos can lead to new converts being slaughtered. Now we’re also hearing accounts of teens using ChatGPT messages that have convinced them to commit suicide. Meanwhile, hackers can steal your identity, rendering you a non-person in a world increasingly dominated by online information. But what does “righteousness” really mean?

Biblehub.com defines righteousness like this: Righteousness, in a biblical context, refers to a quality of moral uprightness and purity that aligns with the perfect character and will of God. It signifies acting in accordance with divine standards rather than merely human ones. Moreover, righteousness is not solely about external behavior; it involves an inward posture of the heart, grounded in faith and a right relationship with God. According to Scripture, humankind cannot achieve ultimate righteousness on its own, but can receive it through faith. As it is written, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed-a righteousness that is by faith from start to finish”

What does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness? We turn to David Guzik and his “Enduring Word Commentary.”

Blessed are those who hunger: This describes a profound hunger that cannot be satisfied by a snack. This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity.

· This passion is real, just like hunger and thirst are real.

· This passion is natural, just like hunger and thirst are natural in a healthy person.

· This passion is intense, just like hunger and thirst can be.

· This passion can be painful, just like real hunger and thirst can cause pain.

· This passion is a driving force, just like hunger and thirst can drive a man.

· This passion is a sign of health, just like hunger and thirst show health.

b. Hunger and thirst for righteousness: We see Christians hungering for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness – but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness?

i. It is good to remember that Jesus said this in a day and to a culture that really knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. Modern man – at least in the western world – is often so distant from the basic needs of hunger and thirst that they also find it difficult to hunger and thirst after righteousness…

iii. How does this hunger and thirst for righteousness express itself?

· A man longs to have a righteous nature.

· A man wants to be sanctified, to be made more holy.

· A man longs to continue in God’s righteousness.

· A man longs to see righteousness promoted in the world.

iv. “He hungers and thirsts after righteousness. He does not hunger and thirst that his own political party may get into power, but he does hunger and thirst that righteousness may be done in the land. He does not hunger and thirst that his own opinions may come to the front, and that his own sect or denomination may increase in numbers and influence, but he does desire that righteousness may come to the fore.” (Spurgeon)

c. For they shall be filled: Jesus promised to fill the hungry; to fill them with as much as they could eat. This is a strange filling that both satisfies us and keeps us longing for more.

Blaise Pascal, a sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher, is quoted as having said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle avowed that “Nature abhors a vacuum.” He proposed the concept of horror vacui, arguing that a true vacuum, or completely empty space, could not exist because nature inherently seeks to fill any void.” Righteousness is kind of like your favorite food such as pizza or ice cream. Even if you have just eaten some, you know that you would be happy to eat more if you could. But once you gain a hunger or thirst for righteousness, nothing less will satisfy you, even if you try to fill the void with something else.

Many of us try to fill our God-shaped vacuums with “good stuff,” little realizing that only Jesus Christ will truly satisfy. Why not pray and ask God to take away the substitutes you’ve been using and to fill your heart with Himself?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we have tried filling our hearts with things we think will satisfy, only to find ourselves empty and frustrated. Please take away the substitutes we have used and fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit and Your love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:5 God blesses those who are humble (meek), for they will inherit the whole earth.
We are continuing to study the Sermon on the Mount, and Matthew 5:5 lists one of the most perplexing things Jesus ever said. When Jesus told this to his listeners, there were probably lots of people scratching their heads in disbelief. There were plenty of power figures in Jesus’ day-politicians, religious leaders, Roman soldiers and administrators, tax collectors, and others. Everything was highly regulated, including the fishing industry on the Sea of Galilee, for licenses were required for all aspects of the trade. Most of the people listening to Jesus suffered under the tyranny of one or more of these despots. When Jesus made this statement, most of his audience was thinking, “HUH?”

For many of us, meekness implies being a wimp, a patsy, a pushover. To quote a line from one of the songs in the musical “Camelot,” “It’s not the earth the meek inherit, it’s the dirt.” Our problem with this verse stems from our lack of understanding of the language. David Guzik in his “Enduring Word Commentary” explains the concept of meekness this way:

a. Blessed are the meek: It is impossible to translate this ancient Greek word praus (meek) with just one English word. It has the idea of the proper balance between anger and indifference, of a powerful personality properly controlled, and of humility.

i. In the vocabulary of the ancient Greek language, the meek person was not passive or easily pushed around. The main idea behind the word “meek” was strength under control, like a strong stallion that was trained to do the job instead of running wild.

ii. “In general the Greeks considered meekness a vice because they failed to distinguish it from servility. To be meek towards others implies freedom from malice and a vengeful spirit.” (Carson)

iii. “The meek, who can be angry, but restrain their wrath in obedience to the will of God, and will not be angry unless they can be angry and not sin, nor will be easily provoked by others.” (Poole)

iv. “The men who suffer wrong without bitterness or desire for revenge.” (Bruce)

v. The first two beatitudes are mostly inward; the third deals with how one relates to one’s fellow man. The first two were mainly negative; the third is clearly positive.

vi. To be meek means to show willingness to submit and work under proper authority. It also shows a willingness to disregard one’s own “rights” and privileges. It is one thing for me to admit my own spiritual bankruptcy, but what if someone else does it for me? Do I react meekly? This blessed one is meek:

· They are meek before God, in that they submit to His will and conform to His Word.

· They are meek before men, in that they are strong – yet also humble, gentle, patient, and longsuffering.

vii. “Our word meek comes from the old Anglo-Saxon meca, or meccea, a companion or equal, because he who is of a meek or gentle spirit, is ever ready to associate with the meanest of those who fear God, feeling himself superior to none; and well knowing that he has nothing of spiritual or temporal good but what he has received from the mere bounty of God, having never deserved any favour from his hand.” (Clarke)

b. For they shall inherit the earth: We can only be meek, willing to control our desire for our rights and privileges because we are confident God watches out for us, that He will protect our cause. The promise “they shall inherit the earth” proves that God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal.

i. “It looks as if they would be pushed out of the world but they shall not be, ‘for they shall inherit the earth.’ The wolves devour the sheep, yet there are more sheep in the world than there are wolves, and the sheep, continue to multiply, and to feed in green pastures.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “The meek of England, driven by their native land by religious intolerance, have inherited the continent of America.” (Bruce)

iii. “I had only to look upon it, all as the sun shone upon it, and then to look up to heaven, and say, ‘My Father, this is all thine; and, therefore, it is all mine; for I am an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.’ So, in this sense, the meek-spirited man inherits the whole earth.” (Spurgeon)

iv. Through the first three beatitudes we notice that the natural man finds no happiness or blessedness in spiritual poverty, mourning or meekness. These are only a blessing for the spiritual man, those who are new creatures in Jesus. (https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-5/)

Reading this explanation may cause you to despair, for you feel you don’t fit the positive descriptions of meekness in any way, shape, or form. But don’t despair. Remember that God already knows your character and He is only waiting for you to ask Him so that He can change you into His likeness. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to learn true meekness and to embody it. We absolutely cannot do this by ourselves; You are the only One who can truly change us. Please change us so that we can suffer wrong without bitterness or desire for revenge and so that we will obey You promptly and explicitly. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

All the previous studies in this unit so far have been laying the groundwork for some of the most important teachings Jesus ever gave, namely, “the Sermon on the Mount.” The teachings are so rich that it’s best to take it in little bits. The first twelve verses are referred to as “the Beatitudes,” because “beatus” means “blessed or happy” in Latin. But why did Jesus select that particular location for this teaching?

Mattew 5:1-2 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.

Throughout the Bible, important messages were generally delivered from a height overlooking the audience. Jesus sat because that was the traditional position for teachers. In addition, Jesus knew several thousand people would hear his teaching and such an audience needed a place to sit. There’s also another simple reason: acoustics. Jesus needed to be in a location where people could hear him speak clearly. The photo on the left shows the actual hillside where Jesus gave this sermon. The photo on the right shows the church that has been built to commemorate the sermon.

Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

John 14: 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 

Jesus is speaking of spiritual poverty and not simply financial poverty. As Matthew was recording this verse, he must have remembered his own situation. As a corrupt tax collector, Matthew was quite wealthy; however, spiritually he was a pauper. As long as anyone believes that they have everything they need spiritually, they will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven, for their self-assurance makes it impossible. There’s a story about a very rich man who died. Someone asked one of his friends how much the man had left, and the friend replied, “All of it.” The day we die, we leave everything in this world behind. If we have not committed our lives to Christ, recognizing our total spiritual poverty, we will have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Here the language indicates an intense degree of mourning over one’s spiritual state. While we might be able to convince others and ourselves that we are really all right, inside, we know we fail, we falter, we lie to others and to ourselves, we are jealous-in fact, give us a few hours of any given day, and we will break many of the Ten Commandments one way or another. God knows we are sinners, for He knows our hearts better than we do. But God also is a God of forgiveness and a God of hope. When we mourn over our spiritual state, confessing our sins to God, He forgives us and cleanses us.

1 John 1:5-9 tells us, “5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There is also a second meaning to “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  We cannot love anyone or anything without mourning when a loved one dies or when we must leave a beloved place. As I write these words, we are spending our last days in my home area before traveling back to our home in Ghana. We are visiting churches, family members, and friends for the last time. We are traveling through countryside I know like the back of my hand-country I have loved since childhood.

We feel conflicted, for we want to enjoy our friends and our location as much as possible, but a sense of finality hangs over our every move. We are grieving losses. In the midst of our struggles, it is comforting to know that God loves us, that God cares for us, that God will always be with us and will never forsake us. Grief is the price of love, for you cannot grieve for something or someone whom you have never loved. God knows our hearts, and God knows we need comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says, “3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.”

In the midst of grief, God can send all kinds of things to comfort us-friends, Scripture, and even events in nature such as rainbows. Earlier this summer, a friend was facing a difficult and dangerous surgery. The morning before she was to be operated, suddenly, a rainbow appeared over one of the Scripture plaques on her living room wall. The phenomenon was due to light passing through a glass cross hanging in a window. My friend realized this rainbow was God’s way of reassuring her that everything would be all right, and she faced surgery with a calm heart. The operation was completely successful, and my friend has since recovered remarkably well.

The last few weeks, I have been scanning papers of all kinds-old letters from beloved relatives now dead, encouraging notes from supporters and others. This process has proven both painful and encouraging. Just when I would find myself grieving over a lost friend, I would find some new long-forgotten treasure. Scanning is necessary, for we must travel by air and luggage weight is always a challenge. Truly, God has comforted me as I have scanned these documents and have then destroyed them.

Perhaps today you find yourself among those who mourn. You have lost a loved one, a job, a home, or something else dear to your heart. Remember that God is the One who can comfort most effectively. Why not tell Him of your grief and allow Him to assuage it?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us feel spiritually poverty-stricken. But You are the One who can forgive and heal us. Many more are grieving various losses. Again, You are the One who can comfort us in special ways. Please forgive our sins, clean our hearts with Your love, and comfort our grief. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

All the previous studies in this unit so far have been laying the groundwork for some of the most important teachings Jesus ever gave, namely, “the Sermon on the Mount,” as recorded in Matthew 5-6 and Luke 6:17-49. Yesterday, we described the scene as Jesus called Matthew to become a disciple. But some more background would be helpful.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll introduces the Gospel of Matthew in this fashion:

Who wrote the book?

While Matthew did not sign his own name to “his” gospel, the early church uniformly attested to the apostle’s authorship of the book. As early as AD 140, a Christian named Papias wrote that Matthew had compiled the sayings of the Lord in Hebrew (presumably before Matthew translated them into Greek for a larger audience).

Matthew’s name appears in all the biblical lists of the twelve apostles, though Mark and Luke refer to him as Levi. His history as a tax collector distinguished him from the other apostles, and immediately after his call to follow Jesus—an event he recorded in Matthew 9:9—Matthew hosted a feast for Jesus in his home with an invitation list made up of Matthew’s sinful friends. Apparently, Matthew did not think it odd that Jesus and he would associate with the sinful and downtrodden of society.

Where are we?

Matthew is the most Jewish-centric of the four gospels. The apostle regularly invoked the writings of the Old Testament prophets in an effort to illustrate Jesus’s identity as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

However, the gospel of Matthew has been notoriously difficult to date. Several factors speak to a date ranging from AD 60–65. First of all, the book makes no mention of the destruction of the temple, an event which occurred in AD 70. Such a cataclysmic event likely would have received some comment, particularly in a book so clearly influenced by Judaism. The largely Jewish character of the book also suggests it was written at a time when much of the evangelism by Christians was directed more exclusively at Jews, something that became less and less common as the decades passed. Finally, many scholars believe Mark to have been the first gospel composed, making it most probable that Matthew was written soon after.

Why is Matthew so important?

The apostle Matthew, a Jew himself, offered a decidedly Jewish perspective on the ministry of Jesus. He included more than fifty direct citations—and even more indirect allusions—from the Old Testament. This exceeds any of the other gospels and indicates that Matthew had the Jewish population in mind when he sat down to write. Matthew’s extensive connections between Jesus and the Old Testament provide ample prophetic evidence for Jesus’s ministry but also give contemporary readers a glimpse into how first-century readers approached the Old Testament with a Christ-centered mind-set.

In addition, Matthew’s gospel answers the question on the mind of every Jewish reader: “If Jesus is the King of the Jews, then where is God’s promised kingdom?” Matthew reveals that Jesus did offer the kingdom to Israel, but the offer was rejected (Matthew 4:17; 16:13–28; 21:42–43). God’s primary work in the world is now accomplished through the building of Christ’s church, after which Jesus will come again to earth and establish His kingdom—ruling the world from Israel.

What’s the big idea?

Matthew wrote his account of Jesus’s ministry to show that Jesus was and is indeed the King, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. He reflected this concern in his opening line, “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). From there, Matthew consistently took his readers back to the Old Testament, providing Old Testament testimony regarding the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem as the location of Jesus’s birth, the flight to Egypt, Herod’s slaughter of the infants, and the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. In a world where many in the Jewish community had claimed the role of Messiah for themselves, Matthew’s commitment to grounding the life of Jesus in the Old Testament raised Jesus above the multitude of these false messiahs. The apostle painted a portrait of our Lord that highlights His uniqueness among all others to ever walk this earth. 

How do I apply this?

After enduring four hundred years of prophetic silence, God’s people must have wondered whether or not He had deserted them. After centuries of regular communication from God, the people found themselves without a genuine prophet or spokesman for God. However, the ministries of John and Jesus reminded God’s people that He had not forgotten them. God’s silence during that period was merely a precursor to pulling the linchpin of His redemptive plan. God hadn’t forgotten—He remembered His people. Matthew made that clear.

It was true then, and it is certainly true today. Do you ever feel as though God has deserted you or that He sits in silence in the face of your requests? As we read through the pages of Matthew, not only do we see Jesus Christ revealed as Israel’s King and Messiah, but His coming to earth as God in the flesh reminds us of His deep love for us. Now resurrected and ascended, the Lord Jesus will always be with us, even to the end of time (Matthew 28:20).

Christ’s commission to His followers is still His mandate to us today: “Make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Christ’s work of building His church is the work He does through each of us.

 Further exploration into Matthew’s background reveals some interesting facts. Both Matthew the disciple and James, another disciple, are described as “the son of Alphaeus.” The Eastern Orthodox tradition believes these two men were brothers; however, other traditions differ. It’s not certain whether this disciple James became a disciple before Matthew.

Many authorities believe that Matthew wrote his Gospel later in life. Mark wrote his Gospel first, about 70 A.D. with both Matthew and Luke drawing material from Mark’s Gospel, independently producing their Gospels within a few years of each other. Allegedly, Mark received much of his information from Simon Peter and was writing to appeal to a Gentile audience. Matthew was writing to a predominantly Jewish audience. As a Greek, Luke was aiming at a highly-educated Gentile audience. John wrote his Gospel later, with estimated dates ranging from 75-100 A.D. and was appealing to a mixed audience of Jewish and Gentile Christians.

Sometimes people become frustrated because the Gospels list different events in a different order. The key point is not the order of events but the manner in which a Gospel portrays Jesus. Rather than contradicting one another, each of the Gospels illustrates a different aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry. As you read the different Gospels, you might find that you enjoy one more than the others. Preferences are not important; what’s important is that the more you learn about Jesus, the more you will love him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please give us a hunger to know You more. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Luke 5:17-26 Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

I have always loved this story for several reasons. Let’s call the paralyzed man Eli. First, everybody should have friends like those men helping Eli. Even though Eli has become paralyzed, his friends have not deserted him. Eli’s friends could have deserted him as soon as they realized that the paralysis was becoming permanent, but they didn’t. Such friendship is remarkable in itself. Next, there’s the fact that these men are carrying Eli on a mat, making the effort to get him to Jesus so Jesus can heal him. Such effort demonstrates both faith and determination. These men have no guarantees that Jesus will heal their friend; yet, they are bringing him anyway.

As the men approach the house where Jesus is, carrying their paralyzed neighbor, they can already see there’s going to be a major problem. The house is jam-packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder. When the friends attempt to carry the crippled man into the house, no amount of begging or pleading works. Everybody refuses to move; after all, if they shift out of the way for a cripple, they will lose their place in the crowd and they want to watch Jesus as much as possible. Besides, old Eli has been crippled for decades; why can’t he and his friends simply give up?

Outside, Eli himself is losing hope. With no way to reach Jesus, Eli figures he’ll remain a cripple forever. But Eli’s friends are tough and determined and they aren’t about to give up. They remember that the roof on the house where Jesus is teaching is made of tiles over sun-dried bricks and thatch, not stone. Carrying Eli up to the roof, Eli’s friends remove the tiles from one section and begin digging through it. Down below, Jesus continues to teach, but now he hears noises from the roof and sees dust beginning to fall from the ceiling. Jesus smiles because he knows exactly what’s about to happen. Suddenly, there’s a loud crash and the ceiling above Jesus gives way, showering the crowd with dirt and straw. The crowd watches in fascination as Eli’s friends lower him down through the hole in the ceiling, laying him at Jesus’ feet. The people who have been standing or sitting nearest to Jesus have no choice but to shift back, stepping on other people’s feet as they do so. A few men even shake their fists at Eli’s friends for disturbing them, but Eli’s friends don’t care. They have succeeded in getting Eli to Jesus.

What happens next is shocking. Rather than reaching out a hand, praying, and healing Eli’s paralysis, Jesus tells him, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Everyone in the crowd is horrified. Eli has been paralyzed for a long time, so how could he possibly have sinned while lying on that mat? Even before Eli was paralyzed, he was one of the most righteous men in town. How dare Jesus accuse Eli of being a sinner? But Jesus knows hearts, and Jesus knows Eli has been struggling because he feels his paralysis is a punishment from God for things he did before the paralysis. In addition, Eli has continued to struggle with rebellion and resentment; why has God allowed such a catastrophe? Doesn’t a righteous life count for anything? These questions have been tormenting Eli on the nights when his paralyzed limbs have ached, keeping him from sleeping.

When Jesus assures Eli that his sins are forgiven, Eli can feel relief and refreshing course through his body. At this point, Eli silently tells God that this is enough, that if he must remain paralyzed the rest of his life, he can do so because he knows God is not angry with him. Jesus knows that Eli’s heart has needed healing before anything else can happen.

Of course, the religious authorities in the crowd are scandalized. How dare Jesus behave as if he is God’s agent? Jesus has been waiting for this reaction, for he knows it will come, and now he can proceed with the second part of his ministry to Eli. 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Raising his eyebrows in confusion, Eli looks at Jesus. Jesus looks back at Eli, smiles, and whispers, “Go on. You can do it.” Suddenly, Eli realizes his shrunken paralyzed legs are now normal and gets up from the mat. As the crowd stands amazed, Eli rolls up his mat and carries it out of the house, heading home to share this amazing news with his family.

Notice the heart healing, the forgiveness of sins, must take place before the physical healing. Were Jesus only to heal Eli physically, Eli would still go home believing that God hated him.

When we study this story, we need to understand Jesus’ healing ministry. Jesus never simply healed people’s physical conditions but also healed their spiritual ones, and the spiritual healing had to precede the physical healing.

Perhaps today, you are struggling with a physical problem. Perhaps God is using your ailment to get your attention that you have something in your soul that requires healing. Why not ask God to heal you spiritually before asking for a physical healing? What do you have to lose?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us are struggling with physical problems that may have spiritual connections. Please heal us. Please change us into Your likeness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Luke 5:12-16 Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

When this man approached Jesus inside a town, he was desperate enough to ignore several laws regarding lepers, even though he was “covered with leprosy.” Anyone glancing at this man could immediately tell that he was a leper, so he risked being attacked and driven out of town before Jesus could see him. The man threw himself at Jesus’ feet both because he was begging Jesus for help and also to protect himself from being removed swiftly.

Ancient Jewish regulations concerning lepers were primarily outlined in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. These laws served both religious and practical purposes, focusing on the diagnosis, treatment, and social implications of leprosy. The primary texts for these regulations are found in Leviticus chapters 13 and 14. They provide detailed instructions on how to identify leprosy in individuals and even in objects like clothing and houses. The process involved priests who acted as health inspectors, determining whether a person was clean or unclean based on visible symptoms. Lepers were often isolated from the community to prevent the spread of the disease. They were required to live outside the camp and announce their condition to others. If a leper was deemed healed, a specific ritual involving sacrifices and offerings was required for reintegration into the community. This included the use of birds and other elements symbolizing purification. (AI Summary)

These days, the disease of leprosy is well-defined; however, in Biblical times, a number of different problems were tagged as leprosy, including fungal infections in people or mold and mildew in garments and houses. One thing is certain: lepers were social outcasts, forced to live outside towns and forbidden to have physical contact with anyone else. In a close-knit society, this ostracization must have been excruciatingly painful. As this man approached Jesus, he risked being driven out of town; however, he tried anyway. And even though Jesus ordered him to quietly show himself to the priests and offer necessary sacrifices, the word got out. Everyone in the crowd who had witnessed the healing immediately told as many others as possible, for this story was phenomenal.

Having been the conduit for such a miracle, many of us might have stayed around basking in the praise of the crowd. Jesus reacted much differently. “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Jesus knew that the only way to continue to perform miracles was for God the Father to work through him and for God to receive all the glory. The only way to avoid blocking God’s power was to remain humble, to pray, and to remain in close contact with the Father. And the only way to have uninterrupted communion with the Father was to withdraw to some lonely place where the crowds wouldn’t follow. This meant that Jesus spent many nights or early mornings in prayer.

Personally, some of the best and most meaningful prayer times I have had have been in the middle of the night. Sometimes I am up because I have returned from the hospital after dealing with an emergency. Sometimes God wakes me up. If I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot sleep, I don’t blame insomnia; I assume God wants to tell me something. Nighttime is the time when the noise of the day quiets sufficiently to hear God most effectively.

Nighttime is also helpful for another reason: we can critically analyze a day’s events in the light of God’s Word. For me, it takes time and space to be able to reflect honestly on events and to see them as God does, rather than as I would like to see them. I need distance, quiet, and breathing room for reflection.

These days, there are many evangelists advertising “seasons of miracles” or “days and nights of miracles.” The advertising for these events always includes a large photo of the pastor in action…but where does the power for these miracles come from? If miracle-working power is coming from God, why aren’t we advertising God rather than a particular pastor? Notice that when Jesus was ministering, social media and advertising did not exist. News about Jesus spread by word of mouth; yet, thousands of people traveled long distances over poor roads to listen to him teach for hours. How much time does an evangelist spend in prayer before he/she gets up to minister?

Oral Roberts was one of the most successful Pentecostal evangelists of the twentieth century. Roberts once estimated that he had prayed for more than 1.5 million people during his ministry, with thousands of them receiving healing. One missionary friend who knew Roberts once asked Mr. Roberts what his ministry had cost him personally. Roberts answered that he had to drastically limit his social life apart from ministry, for without spending large amounts of time in prayer and fasting, God could not use him.

 “Great,” you say, “so Jesus had plenty of places to which he could retreat for prayer. I don’t have any of that available.” True. But remember the example of John Wesley’s mother, Susanna. Susanna bore nineteen children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. When Susanna wanted to pray, she would sit down and throw her apron over her head. Susanna’s children knew that when Susanna covered her head in this fashion, she was talking to God, and they were trained to wait until she uncovered her head to gain her attention.

In the movie The War Room, one of the central characters has turned a closet into a prayer warfare room, with photos, maps, and other reminders so that she can pray for people properly. Even if all you have is a laptop computer or a quiet corner, you can still create prayer lists and reminders for yourself. One of the big keys to effective prayer is constancy, continuing even when things are uncomfortable or time is limited. Years ago, while commuting 90 minutes to a job as an ER doc, I used my commuting time to pray. My car became a prayer closet. Sometimes I settled for praying in hospital corridors.

There is no wrong way to pray. God knows your heart and He loves it when you come to Him anytime and anywhere. Find some means of retreating from the noise of the world and wait for God to speak to your heart.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please help all those who read these words to find quiet places where they can pray. Help them to listen more than to speak. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.