And When He Sat
It was just yesterday that Jesus was receiving the love and recognition
from his father, Matthew 3:17, and then Jesus was tempted for forty
days and nights in the desert by the devil. The devil that would not
give up for he wanted the victory to be his, until Jesus told the devil,
Matthew 4:10
“Be gone, Satin! for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord
your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
Then the devil left Jesus, and behold, angels came and ministered to
Jesus. It wasn’t a preacher who ministered to Jesus, but angels from
God who ministered to our Lord and Savior. Just when life started
looking good again bad news came to Jesus of his cousin John the
Baptist.
Matthew 4:12,
“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, Jesus
withdrew into Galilee”
which is significant to the New Testament not only as a place of
Jesus’ youth but to Jesus ministry. This is where Jesus gave the
Sermon on the Mount, where the transfiguration occurred, where
Jesus performed miracles and 19 of his 32 parables occurred. And
during Jesus’ ministry, Herod the Great and Herod Antipas
governed the area.
Matthew 4: 13-17
…and leaving Nazareth Jesus went and dwelt in Capernaum
by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that was
spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: The land of
Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region
and shadow of death light has dawned.”
Jesus had been tempted for forty days and forty nights, his cousin
John the Baptist had been arrested and through all the trials and
tribulations Jesus never forgot. Jesus never forgot the present reality
of God’s rule, Luke 10:18; 11:20; 17:21; and its future realization,
Matthew 6:10. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, walked the talk,
Matthew 3:15:17 But Jesus answered John, “Let it be so now; for
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John
consented.
Matthew 4:17,
From this time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus was fulfilling His father’s will by resisting the temptations of
the devil, and by teaching, preaching and healing.
Mary did you know, when you kissed your little baby, you kissed
the face of God? The blind shall see, the deaf shall hear, the lame
shall walk, and the dead shall come alive again.
Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting
a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said
to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed
Jesus. And going on from there Jesus saw two other brothers,
James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat
with Zebedee their father mending their nets, and Jesus called
them. Immediately James and John left the boat and followed
Jesus.
Matthew 4: 23-25 CONT.:
And Jesus went all about Galilee teaching in their synagogues
And preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every
disease and every infirmity among the people. So Jesus fame
spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Jesus all the
sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains,
demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and Jesus healed them.
And great crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the
Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the
Jordan.
It’s a funny thing about life, you can have the best athletes on the
Field but without great leadership and inspiration they’re useless,
like in the movie Little Giants. You can have the worst athletes on
the field but with great leadership they can be champions irrelevant
of their race and or differences, like in the movie, Return Of The
Titans.
The other part of being a leader, of solitude is the Bible. In my life
I deeply believe in the Bible. The Bible is my strength, my fortitude,
my hope, my flashlight, my First Aid kit, and my compass in life.
I also believe the Bible says a lot without speaking. Visualize with
me,
Matthew 5: 1-12,
Seeing the crowds, (Open the eyes of my heart Lord) Jesus
went up, (I look to the hills from whence does my strength
come?) on the mountain, and when Jesus sat down, (Jesus
did not stand, Jesus did not hover over others, Jesus sat for
in Jesus time that was a sign of authority. If you are
intelligent I will know by looking you in the eyes and
listening to what you say.) And Jesus opened his mouth
and (what did Jesus do) he taught them, (Not yelling, not
being demeaning or condescending,) but saying: (the
Beatitudes, which in Latin means happy or blessed.)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(we do not get to heaven by works, money, prestige, but by asking
Jesus to forgive us of our sins and inviting Jesus into our heart and
soul. In humbleness we seek and find.)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (One of
the worst experiences is the death of a love one. The longing that
cannot be fulfilled. God knows that pain through the torture and
death of His son. Such mourning for the death of a love one is
healthy and yes, a part of the healing process. Jesus is referring to
“those who mourn,” from a loss of self-confidence and purpose in
their life.)
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (“the meek,”
those who may seem weak to the world, but are strong when Jesus
Christ is their Lord and Savior. The body builder may have a less
of a chance than the one confined to a wheelchair. The body builder
may have muscles of iron but an empty heart and soul. The one in
the wheelchair may be unable to walk in the eyes of the sin of flesh
but be strong in their heart and soul and walk daily with Jesus.)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied. (Jesus is not speaking of your favorite place to eat
or your favorite beverage to drink. A person who hungers and thirst
for righteousness feels a sense of injury when they have done wrong
or have seen wrong and they hunger and thirst for that which is right
in their life and the world.)
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
(Matthew 12:30
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does
not gather with me scatters.) You may have hurt me and
I shall not forget but will have mercy upon you through
God and then go on with my life and living.)
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (To make peace
with one’s life is to be at peace within ones heart. I am in no hurry
but I am at peace for I walk holding the hand of God.)
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.
(Oh, But by the grace of God was it not I. Peacemakers are at peace
with who they are for they have made peace not with the world but
with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When forgiveness doesn’t
make sense, Jesus Christ does.)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for
theirs Is the kingdom of heaven. (From heartbreak to hope we need
to Remember that the best place to find hope when we are
persecuted is at the end of our arm when our hand is in God’s hand.)
Blessed are you when men revile you (to insult you) and persecute
you
And utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (People
may not like you, may talk about you, and may avoid you because
you’re different and you walk with Jesus. REJOICE! REJOICE for
you have a great event waiting for you and heaven and peace within
your heart and soul. I once was blind but now I see. I once was lost
but now I’m found.)
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men
persecuted prophets who were before you (and still persecute in this
world those who follow Jesus. I never promised you a rose garden
but I promise you happiness, a peace you shall not find in this
world.)
Our Lord and Savior’s non-verbal statement says a lot of what God
calls us to do. For God the Father calls us to do what is right, love
mercy, and to walk humbly with God. What do your non-verbal
statements say about you?
Do you show mercy within healthy boundaries to one who has
wronged you? “Father I cannot humanly forgive them for what
they have done to me. Father please forgive them for me.”
Do you toot your own horn, OH LORD MY GOD HOW GREAT I
ART, or do you walk humbly? In humbleness they will know the
gifts and the command I have received from God. “And when he
sat down.” When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sat down, those
gathered looked him in the face, looked him in the eyes, looked at
his mouth and studied His features.
What would they see when they look at you?
What will they see today?
REMEMBER, It is not how much we do, but how much love we
put into what we do. Works of love are always works of peace.
Whenever you share love with others, you’ll notice the peace that
comes to you and to them.
Matthew 4:19:
“And Jesus said to them, follow me
and I will make you fishers of men.”
Let us pray,
Father, I pray that in each day of our life we can reach out in witness
to others in a way that they will see not I but you Father within
me. May we sit as Jesus sat with those less fortunate, those
imprisoned, ill, and looking for a light in the storm of
their life. In our lives, in all lives, may we come to
not be afraid to lie down our nets and follow
Jesus. To not be afraid and in faith
become fishers of men.
Amen
01/30/05 JWM
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