January 27
40And He answered and told them “I am telling you truly that what you have done for one of these, the least of My brethren, you have done for Me.” (Matthew 25:40, The Original Gospels)
Good morning family. The verse above comes from the final few chapters of the Book of Matthew, as Jesus tells all those listening in Jerusalem how they are to treat the sick, the poor, the hungry, the foreigner, and the prisoner. Jesus stated to them, whenever a person helps the “least of these”, or the most afflicted or the marginalized population, helping those in need is like helping Jesus Himself. Well, that truth is still true today, Jesus still calls us to help the least of us, to do all we can to bring comfort and peace to all those mentioned above.
As I wrap up reading Professor Mark Dumdie’s translation of the Book of Matthew, I have reached the end of Matthew’s interpretation of Jesus’ ministry. The Chosen has forever changed the way I read the Gospels. I spoke very highly two days ago about how well done Episode 3 of Season 3 is. In that episode, Jesus speaks to His friends and neighbors from Nazareth, and He warns them that just because they are the Chosen line of Abraham, it does not guarantee their salvation if they treat others wrongly and without love. It is an incredible scene, one of my favorite from the series so far. I cannot wait to see what the crew and director put out in the seasons to come as they bring to life the Gospels in a way no one has ever done before.
But back to the Bible Verse above, what Jesus told the people of Nazareth, and how that ties into our current culture. I often feel that we Christians have become the Israelites of Jesus’ day. We think that just because we proclaim our faith, get baptized or christened at a young age, that we are saved, that there is not an abundance of work still to be done. I know there is some confusion because Jesus did say that His yoke was light, that the heaviest burdens were to be carried with Jesus to the cross. Well, when Jesus spoke of that, to me, He was talking about the immense burden the Jewish law had placed on the Israelites. Jesus simplified all the laws and Commandments down to two: Love God above everything and Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
There are people hurting in your city, in your town, in your neighborhood. The harvest is ripe. Soon the headmaster will return and look to His Chosen people to see the good work they have done. What kind of harvest are you collecting for the master of the House?
The Holy Spirit is moving, invigorating those plugged in. My friends at the Holy Post feel it. Phil Vischer finally made the point that I was desperately hoping they would realize: that their ministry has to be more than just sitting around and talking about issues playing out in the world. They need to be the hands and feet and not just the mouth (click here for that conversation, and the miracle story of a tortoise lost for over 30 years in an attic!) . I feel the same way about this ministry. I can sit here and type my thoughts every single day, but if I am not going out and actually helping my immediate community, what good is any of this? We have already lost one month of 2023, how much good could we have done in those first four weeks. How much better can we do in the next month?
Let’s see what good we can do in the coming weeks. We have to be world changers. If not us, then who?
Here’s some new music to be the soundtrack of salvation. This song, “Still Fresh”, reminds us that there is still power in the Blood, there is still living water in Jesus’ cup, there is still wonder in the Cross, and the Word is still fresh!
May the spirit of God fall upon you this weekend and protect you and your loved ones. Until next time, God Bless you all.
Common Sense Reborn 