Contemplative Bible Reading

Matthew 8:16-17 (New Living Translation)

…and he (Jesus) healed all the sick. 17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,

“He took our sicknesses
    and removed our diseases.”

Told many centuries earlier, the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who would take away the sins of mankind, the Christ would take our sicknesses and remove our diseases. And Jesus of Nazareth did these things.

People became well. What’s more, their diseases went to Jesus. Jesus removed the sickness from the people and took the sickness into Himself. Jesus bore the sickness Himself. Jesus became sick so that the people would not be sick.

Only whole and well people could enter the Temple and be in the presence of God. Jesus was not just being the world’s best doctor. He was changing the state of the people so that they could be in the presence of God. Jesus continues to do this for me. Jesus takes my dirty sins away so that I am clean enough to be in the presence of God.

That is a miracle. That is only something the Son of God could do.

Micah 6:8 (New Living Translation)

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

There are acts that the people wanted to do for God. Imagine that—we could do something for God that God needed, how silly.

“No,” God tells the people through the prophet Micah. The LORD God has told the people what is good. Let’s repeat it one more time.

Righteousness. Mercy. Live humbly with God.

We know what is right. There is no teaching required. It is plain to us. Simply do it.

Love mercy. Keep mercy in our hearts. Show mercy in our lives.

Walk with God in a posture that shows that God is God and I am not.

Pretty simple stuff. It is good.

Matthew 8:32-34 (New Living Translation)

32 “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

This is part of the (hi)story of Jesus casting the demons out of two men. The demons departed into a herd of pigs and the pigs charged down into a lake and drowned themselves.
Try to imagine this scene as the herdsmen saw it. They didn’t see the spiritual battle. They saw a herd of pigs charge down a hillside and drown themselves in a lake. Picture that. It is crazy; it is violent, and it is a frightening display. This Jesus fella’ shows up and crazy, violent things happen.

In fear, the herdsmen fled.

In fascination, the townspeople came to Jesus.

The townspeople didn’t want to meet Jesus and hear what Jesus had to say. Instead, they wanted Jesus to go away and leave them alone. One crazy, violent event was enough for them. Go away. Please.

The power of God can be terrifying. We have science fiction movies with super heroes transcending reality and doing crazy, violent acts all the time. Old hat, blah, so what? Yeah, well let’s witness something real. Not so blah. Terrifying.

And, as usual, it’s not the event, it’s the reaction. How do we react to the power of God? Come near to God? Tell God to go away? Dear God, help me to come near to You.

Jonah 3:10-4:1 (New Living Translation)

10 When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. 1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

Jonah was a reluctant but successful evangelist. God saw the people of Nineveh repent. God changed His mind and did not destroy the great city and all its people.

Jonah didn’t like God’s new plan. Jonah wanted his plan to be executed.

That’s about the way it is, folks. I (like Jonah) have my plan; God has His plan. I am not God. That can be downright aggravating at times. God does what is best. I admit that, but sometimes, I don’t like it, and I don’t understand it, and you know …

God, help me in my lack of understanding and dislike of Your plans. Grant me the humility to know that I am not You. These things seem so simple, but sometimes just don’t sink in.

Matthew 20:28 (New Living Translation)

28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus concludes a discussion on what we value with this statement about His own life and ransom.

One definition of ransom is “something paid or demanded for the freedom of a captured person.”

All of mankind for all of history was captured by death. (There is much about death we could discuss, but not today.) To be freed from death, a ransom was paid. The ransom is something valuable, but not as valuable as the persons freed. I value the captured persons more than I value the ransom, so I give up the ransom to have the persons freed.

Let’s step back a moment and consider this. God valued the life of His Son less than the souls of man. Hence, God gave the life of His Son in exchange for the souls of man.

Yes, I am a tiny part of the souls of mankind, but I am a part. God values my soul more than the life of His Son. And what am I doing with this soul that was freed at such a price? Yikes. Do I have to answer that?

Perhaps I can start by giving a drink of water to a thirsty person. Perhaps I can put a blanket on a cold person. Perhaps there are many ways I can show appreciation for being ransomed at such great a price.

Jonah 3:10-4:1 (New Living Translation)

10 When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. 4:1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

This is one of those odd chapter breaks in the way man has divided the scriptures for ease of reference. It is one thought on two pages.

God saw how the people of Nineveh repented and put a stop to their evil ways. God repented, i.e., changed His mind, of the intent to destroy the city. Life instead of death. Joy instead of mourning. Who wouldn’t be happy about this? Jonah wouldn’t.

Jonah “threw a fit.” Jonah was so mad that he wanted to die, well, maybe not literally die, but…

Sometimes I wonder about God. Sometimes I wonder, “What is wrong with God?” Look at the human suffering on a personal level. Surely God will heal this one person here. That would make life so much easier for that person and the dozens of people around the ill person. Surely God will.. and God doesn’t. Why not? I wonder.

Jonah didn’t like the people of Nineveh. God loved the people of Nineveh. Perhaps “like” and “love” are the key words. I would like some things to happen. God loves some things to happen. And God has a much better view of the entire situation.

Jonah sat on that hill outside of the city and baked in the hot sun. He was greatly upset that God had changed plans for Nineveh. Those folks wouldn’t “get what they had coming.” And Jonah wouldn’t get what he had coming either. He had disobeyed God and run off to the far ends of the earth. God forgave Jonah. God forgave Nineveh.

Some change of plans seem right to me, some don’t.

This is a different from most posts. Today, December 25th 2022, is Christmas Day. Christianity worldwide celebrates this as the day Christ came to earth.

Well, there are 365 or so days in a year, so there is a chance that Christ was born close to the winter solstice. Researchers who research such things have proven that Christ was born on every day of the year, if that makes any sense.

In America, we have sort of turned this into a commercial event where commerce exceeds all other days of the year. There is nothing wrong with commerce and employing people to allow them to support their families and many others.

There is nothing wrong with folks, who would not otherwise do so, looking up in the night sky for a bright shining star and thinking about God at least once a year.

Here is something a Christian could say on this day, “We can all enjoy the happiness of today everyday. I know people who have this joy everyday. Would you like to meet some of them and learn of the reason for their hope and joy?”

Jonah 3:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:

“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 8 People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.

This is part of the (hi)story of Jonah and his reluctant evangelism to the city of Nineveh. After being thrown into the sea during a storm, being swallowed by a great fish, and … is there anything more and worse than that stuff? Anyways, Jonah goes to Nineveh, tells the people of the true creator God Jehovah, and the king gives the above decree.

“Fast and mourn,” was the decree. “Turn from evil ways,” it continues. And it ends with “stop all violence.”

This is repentance—a complete change of mind, change of heart, and change of action.

Note the last phrase about turning from violence. This great and prosperous city was noted for the violence of residents on one another. How could such lead to a great city? Well, consider the “great cities” of America today and the violence of residents on one another. And let’s not forget that such violence happens in the rural areas, too. It happens just about everywhere just about any century.

Pray earnestly to God. Please God, don’t give me what I deserve. Hmmm, same prayer I should pray every day. I’m not a violent, evil person, but I am a person and that means…

Luke 8:46-48 (New Living Translation)

46 But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. 48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

This is the end of the well-known (hi)story of the woman who touched Jesus and was healed of her suffering of bleeding. Jesus ends this with, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Jesus was well. Jesus carried wellness always. People saw and felt this in Jesus. They flocked to Jesus to have a piece of being well. Jesus, in turn, made them well.

See that person over there? That person is well. They are whole, at peace, and happy. I want to be near that person. I want some of that wellness.

Jesus carried wellness. I should, too.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 (New Living Translation)

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy…

Let’s begin with the final phrase. What is God’s will for me? Here is a simple statement: be holy.

We don’t use the word “holy” much these days. I suppose we are focusing on other things that someone decided were more important than “holy.” We don’t call the Bible the “Holy Bible” any longer. Oh well.

What does it mean to be “holy?” Let’s go back to the first sentence, “live in a way that pleases God.” Hmm. Well, that is pretty simple. Is it easy to do? Well, sure as long as I’m sitting in a comfortable chair at the coffee shop sipping good hot coffee and smiling at the other smiling people as they walk through to sip their good hot coffee. We are all smiling and loving and pleasing to God.

What about those days when I wake cold with a headache and a sore neck and have to drive an hour in rain and traffic to sit in an uncomfortable chair and listen to a boring person bore a group of people in a meeting room and…?

Holy? Hey God, come sit in this meeting.

Nope. All wrong. Please God all the time in all circumstances. It is God’s will for me to live a holy life. ‘Nuff said. Please God, help me in my unbelief.