Tag: Matthew (Page 4 of 4)

“This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.
-Matthew 12:30 (MSG)

I’ve always loved this verse, but never read it in The Message, which gives it a lot of reinforced meaning. Before, to me, it was a statement simply directed at those who oppose Christ (then and now), which I think is still true.

However, here Jesus paints a different picture of who exactly those who oppose him are. He says directly that you can’t stand in the middle. You can’t sit on the sidelines. And if you are one of those people, if you aren’t 100% committed to him, if you aren’t working for him, then ultimately you are the enemy.

Ouch.

I’ve never thought that I might actually be the enemy of Jesus before. I know there are times where  I was happy being neutral — not regressing but certainly not progressing either. Going through the motions was enough for me.

In sports you hear commentators mention teams “playing not to lose” instead of “playing to win.” I wonder how many Christians that describes. Believers who are content with their play-it-safe faith. Those who never really pick a side and commit to the cause, and by doing so are just making things worse and working for the enemy.

But Jesus makes it clear that neutrality cannot exist because this is war. The battle is between good and evil, and middle ground is not an option.

Christ, please help me. I can’t be Switzerland.

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
-Matthew 7:9-11 (MSG)

I love Jesus’ words here. He says a humanly father will take care of his child’s needs, so a Heavenly Father most certainly would as well. If you need it, ask for it.

But I think there is a second point as well. Notice Jesus mentions giving a child sawdust or a snake instead. There’s no doubt that those things are unnecessary, so why in the world would he give us those? In the same way, oftentimes we are actually praying for “snakes,” things we not only don’t need but things that are ultimately not in our best interests. Despite our persistence, he does not give them to us, knowing that having those things will come back to bite us later on.

God is good. God is so good in fact, that he will not give me a snake even when I so desperately think I need one.

God, help me to realize the difference between praying for fish (your will) and praying for snakes (my will).

“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
-Matthew 5:21-22 (MSG)

Here we have Jesus giving his historic sermon from a hillside near Capernaum, and he comes to the subject of murder. Obviously, people of his time (and people today) generally knew that it was wrong to kill another human being. So Jesus takes it one step further. He says it’s not enough to simply avoid killing — you must avoid anger and hatred. His point: Words kill too, and that makes you just as guilty.

Jesus continues this theme in Chapter 5 as he hits upon other subjects. He says it’s not enough to just offering gifts and sacrifices to God; we also must have right relationships with people. It’s not enough to just avoid adultery; we also must not lust after others. It’s not enough to just be legally married and not divorce; we also must cling to our marriage commitments. It’s not enough to just keep a vow; we also must avoid casual commitments to God. It’s not enough to try to fix things when we’ve been wronged; we also must show love to others in the same way God show it to us.

It’s relatively easy for most people to stay away from the extreme sins — murder, adultery, etc. But here Jesus is challenging us to avoid sin completely, even the ones that might not seem “that bad.” In particular, those “small sins” seem to be the kind that Jesus is most concerned about.

There’s more to following Christ than just avoiding the “biggies.” Simply put, it’s not enough.