Jesus' Busy Day

This morning I am reading out of Matthew's Gospel, one of my favorite chapters.  I am going to be looking at several verses, so I apologize for the length.  Here are the verses - Matthew 9:9-26 NIV:

[9] As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. [10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

[11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

[12] On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

[14] Then John's disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

[15] Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

[16] “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. [17] Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

[18] While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
[19] Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

 [20] Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. [21] She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

[22] Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

[23] When Jesus entered the synagogue leader's house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,

[24] he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.

[25] After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. [26] News of this spread through all that region."


I think I will title this reflection, "Jesus' busy day", because if you look at the transitions from story too story, they all seem to happen one after the other.  Look at the beginning of verses 14, 18, and 20.  Each of these is the beginning of another separate conversation or situation, but each occurs while the other story or conversation is just finishing.  I guess this shouldn't be surprising as I am sure Jesus was very much in demand, once word got around of His exploits.

Imagine if you heard that in the next suburb over from where you live, there was a minister who was seeing healing and miracles occurring every day!  I mean, not just colds and stuff, but blind eyes being opened, people being raised from the dead, limbs being restored, and other dramatic and life giving miracles.  I know I would be thinking I need to check this out, and maybe I need to bring a few of my friends with me, ones that I know need healing or miracles!  One would hope that everyone that heard would avail themselves of this opportunity and encounter the goodness of God.

As I was thinking about this scenario, I realized that It is interesting that even though one would think something like the miracles I just mentioned would be a very news worthy happening, we would probably only hear about it via word of mouth.  My thinking is that this generally isn't going to get any coverage from the news media, because Christianity is seen as a negative thing in most media presentations these days.  Thus, while we have crazy access to things happening on the other side of the world, almost the exact same instant they occur, we often only hear about God moving in the exact same way Jesus became known in His day. Just an observation...

Anyway, back to Jesus' busy day.  In this day He calls one of His future Apostles, has dinner at his place, meets and hangs out with a  bunch of sinners, answers the Pharisees judgements, answers the questions of John's disciples, gives a significant teaching about new paradigms (New wine), heals a woman who suffering for 12 years and raises a young girl from the dead.  Whew!  I am tired just writing that down.

My point in all of this, is that this is what life could be like for each and every one of us!  God  working through us in big and small ways as we go throughout our day!  We might not have as significant opportunities as Jesus, or maybe we could, but if we look at each day as a bunch of opportunities to be God's representatives to this world, we will likely approach life differently.

For example, yesterday I was doing a little grocery shopping and the checkout lines were long.  I had a decent number of items, and saw this young mother wheel her cart up with only a few things in it.  I told her to go in front of me, and she thanked me and did.  We started some polite conversation while waiting and I found out she had recently moved here from the south, and was suffering from the cold winter we had.  As we were talking I felt like the Lord, nudged me to buy her groceries for her, and my first thought was that would be weird.  However, the idea persisted, so I told her I wanted to pay for her groceries.  She was shocked and started to protest, but I insisted and just said God Bless you.  Nothing big at all.  She thanked me profusely and introduced herself.  It wasn't a big deal, but I could feel the Lord's pleasure in my obedience and in the blessing she received.

I don't share this to draw light to my amazing act of kindness, because it wasn't.  I share this because the Lord said afterwards, "imagine what it would be like if you went grocery shopping and were always looking for opportunities to bless someone, using this simple approach."  I had to admit that I had never even thought that way before!  I imagine this was the way Jesus lived His life, in constant anticipation of the Father giving Him a new opportunity and assignment,  one after the other, day in and day out!  On one hand it seems tiring, but on the other hand, what an exciting way to live!!!

My next opportunity followed shortly after my grocery shopping when I had to stop by another location to run an errand.  As I got out of my car and started walking in, two cars down was a young man that I have known since he was two, who I haven't seen in probably five years.  They just happened to be walking in at the same exact time, and had parked two cars away.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.  We had a nice chat, and I had the opportunity to offer them a blessing on the way in.  As we walked in together I ran into a bunch of friends from our church, who I have never run into in public before.  Another coincidence, I think not.  If I had delayed one minute I wouldn't have seen them at all.  We exchanged some quick greetings and continued on.  It seems that the Lord is highlighting the opportunities all around me to be a Light, to represent Him, to bless and do good, to present kindness instead of judgement as one of His followers!

Most of the time I want the big and glorious experiences, but what is available everyday are the small touches and interactions that are common to us all. What if the Lord chooses to move through these ways just as much as through the big and glorious.  Maybe the young women needed to know that God saw her and loved her, and would provide for her.  Maybe the young man and his wife needed encouragement and I provided that.  Maybe if I had been more aware, more in tune to the what the Lord was doing, I might have had some word from the Lord for them!  

My encouragement this day is to learn to live my days in anticipation of what the Lord might be doing through my normal daily life.  I am encouraged to think differently about little things like going to the grocery store, running errands, getting gas, seeing in each and every situation opportunities to be a witness to the Light that lives in me, blessing people, being kind to people, sharing the Love of God with those I meet.  All I need to do is get my mind off my own self and start looking around!   I need to start thinking and acting differently!  Help me Lord, you know I am often woefully selfish in my perception.

Amen!