It has been said that there are two things which are inevitable in life.  They are death and taxes.  Although that may be true, I believe the number count is off by one.  The third thing every person must come to grips with is the answer to the question, "Who is Jesus?"  Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, people from a wide cross-section of society must answer this question and then decide how they will respond to the answer.  Here are some examples:

            Matthew 8:23-27.  Jesus Calms the Sea:  Jesus and His disciples board a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.  One of the Sea’s infamous squalls kicks up while Jesus is sleeping in the boat.  The disciples wake Him in a panic questioning if He is going to let them perish in the storm.  Jesus rebukes the wind and settles the raging water which causes the disciples to ask, “What kind of man is this that even the wind and sea obey Him?”

            Matthew 14:13-21.   The Feeding of the 5,000:  Many people are now following Jesus but His opponents are also growing in number.  Jesus tries to withdraw from the public spotlight but the crowds find Him.  At the close of the day only a small amount of food is available.  The disciples advise Jesus to send the crowd away, but instead, Jesus blesses the food and has it distributed.  The supply multiplies beyond what is humanly possible.  The event must have caused many to ask, “Who else but God could do this?”

            Matthew 16:13-28.  Peter's Confession and Jesus' Teachings on the Cost of Discipleship:  Jesus and the disciples have retreated to a quiet place to pray.  Jesus asks the disciples about the crowd's opinion of Him.  They say the people perceive Him to be a prophet like Elijah or John the Baptist.  Jesus then asks the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"  Peter speaks for the 12 and states they believe Jesus is the "Anointed of God" (Messiah).  Jesus recognizes the truth of this confession but admonishes His disciples not to reveal His identity at that time.  He affirms that Peter and the disciples will continue the proclamation of the Good News in spite of the opposition they will face.  He continues to warn them of the suffering both He and His disciples will encounter as they proclaim the Good News.  The cost of discipleship is high, but its rewards are even greater.  Whether or not you will accept the cost of discipleship depends on how you answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”

            Matthew 17:1-13.  The Transfiguration:  Jesus takes Peter, John and James to a quiet mountain to pray.  During this time these disciples are introduced to a side of Jesus they have never seen before.  Elijah and Moses also make an appearance prompting Peter to offer temporary housing for the trio.  God the Father affirms Peter's confession in Matthew 16 by instructing the disciples to listen to "My Beloved Son" in a scene reminiscent of Jesus' baptism (Mt. 3:13-17).  The Transfiguration occurs after Peter's confession and the teaching on discipleship which demonstrates that Jesus is God and His glory far surpasses any earthly suffering.  Many people like to label Jesus as a great teacher, but that is only partially true.  He was not a misguided revolutionary either as some like to speculate in order to avoid some of the challenges He spoke concerning sin and personal accountability for it.  The Transfiguration proves that Jesus was more then that; more than a mere mortal and that He has every right to make the demands of His disciples that He does.

            The question of Jesus' identity is central to all the Gospels and to those who want to be His disciples.  It is similar in principle to the idea of an interpreter.  You wouldn't hire an interpreter who didn't know the language you wished to communicate in.  In the same way, you would not want to be the disciple of someone who was delusional or an all-out liar.  If you are to respond in faith, you must believe in something or someone who is completely trust-worthy.  When you read through the Gospel of Matthew (as well as Mark, Luke and John), watch for the ways Matthew authenticates Jesus' claims and proves them to be true.

            Discipleship, however, is more than a mental assent that Jesus is Who He claims to be.  If that were so, then centuries worth of creeds and faith statements, but even more importantly Jesus’ own words, would not have turned the world on its heels. Discipleship is a total lifestyle change and commitment.  It is reshaping the way we look at the world and interact with it.  It reorients our priorities, thoughts and actions.   And so, just as Jesus questioned the 12, He asks us today as well, "Who do you say that I am?" (Mt. 16:15)  How we live as His disciples answers that question every day.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            I have a picture in my mind, a memory actually, of my sisters and I gathered around the dining room table with our heads bowed and my mother saying “grace” with us.  My father and mother usually dined later when he arrived home from work, but “the girls” ate earlier so we’d be in bed on time.  While we had that prayer memorized, there was still something quite personal about it and it instilled in us the belief that we should be both thankful for the food on the table but unafraid to ask God to take care of us each and every day.  We truly believed He was listening and that He answered our prayers.  (And we were right!)    

            Prayer can be beautiful and poetic but routine if not kept honest, simple as bedtime prayers spoken by a child, or as desperate as someone facing a crisis they’re not sure they’ll survive.  Prayer can be taken lightly or seriously, spoken as part of a daily routine, or casually remembered as part of a yearly ritual.  The latter two forms are perhaps the most ineffective because they not only disregard the power of prayer, but they also disregard the One to whom the prayers are directed.  Whatever approach a person takes in their prayer life reflects and discloses what they truly believe about prayer itself. 

            Jesus introduced one of the most important perspectives on prayer in what we call the Sermon on the Mount which is more of a collection of His teachings than it is one discourse delivered on a hillside.  The traditional site which is located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee is a beautiful setting and one can easily imagine Jesus there speaking to the crowd surrounding Him.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  So, if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”  (Mt. 7:7-11)

            There are four prominent action verbs in this passage:  ask, seek, knock and give.  The first three are a special verb form in Greek which could literally be translated as, “the asking one, the seeking one, and the knocking one” and it’s obvious why our English translations smooth it out for us, but the tense drives home the aspect of prayer which is persistent and personal.  Spiros Zodhiates noted that this type of prayer is not demanding but humble.  It involves the same type of trust exhibited by a child when he/she asks for bread or fish (two basic staples of the audience in Jesus’ day). 

            The fourth verb, give, is a key word throughout the passage, appearing 5 times and relating back to the verses that appear just prior to this passage which speaks of the “good gifts” God gives to those who are seeking His kingdom and righteousness (6:33).  Jesus’ teaching here also corresponds with the prayer He taught at the beginning of chapter 6 whereupon faithful disciples ask the Lord for “daily bread” (6:7-8) with full assurance that the Lord will supply for their needs.  God’s good gifts do not necessarily match what we ask for word for word, but the teaching here implies that God will give us what is best for us.  The parallel passage in Luke adds further insight by replacing "good gifts” with “the Holy Spirit” (Lk. 11:13)-the preeminent example of a good and perfect gift coming down from heaven above.

            There are two other interesting aspects of prayer here.  First, the word “son” which we often think of as a child, is not a young child who might not know the difference between a “good” and “bad” morsel of food, but an older one who would naturally be able to distinguish that a stone and a snake were not edible.  Therefore, we can conclude the one asking, seeking and knocking will know when the answer is given or the answer is found and when the door is opened.  And secondly, the obvious contrast between a Heavenly Father and an earthly father.  Jesus assumes that an earthly father, even with his faults and failures, knows what is best to give his child when he needs food.  So, then, wouldn’t a Heavenly Father who is holy, just and loving, give gifts that were even better?

            The struggle we have is that we often think we know what God should give us!  We never ask with the idea of patiently waiting to see how God will answer our prayers, rather we basically send up a list of what God should do and then complain He hasn’t answered when that list is not fulfilled.  Jesus promotes that prayer is an action that God will respond to and that our trust in His ability to give good gifts should compel us to continually ask until we recognize the answer.  This approach to prayer is a powerfully dynamic one filled with complete trust.  God hears.  God answers.  We will see  and recognize it when the answer comes.  Is this how you are praying?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            When it comes to the nature in my backyard, I confess it does not take much to entertain me.  While my birdfeeder is not the most important thing there (that would be the woodpile) it does provide me with some fun things to watch.  Not only do I enjoy the variety of birds that like to visit it, but thanks to its “squirrel proof” design, the furry gray critters who try to raid it also bring about some humorous moments as well.  I think the person who defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results” may have been drawing that definition from the squirrels who attempt to get the sunflower seeds out of my bird feeder.  They will climb, stretch, and maneuver themselves into the most awkward positions trying to get the black seeds out of the little holes to no avail.  Yet, they will not give up!  Sometimes they lose their balance and awkwardly drop to the ground.  It’s like a burlesque comedy show at times.  The smaller feeder outside my kitchen window which is filled with a suet mixture during the winter months also provides similar entertainment.  A number of birds like to visit this feeder throughout the day, but, the most consistent patrons are a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers.  It's always fun to watch them maneuver their way across the feeder.  As the suet gets lower, they must find some pretty acrobatic poses in order to keep their balance while feeding.  Many times they will use their tail feathers, making a V formation with their body, to accomplish this.  Who would have ever thought a bird would use its tail like that?

            Sometimes our lives demand that we perform a balancing act.  All sorts of things can fight for our attention and pull us off balance.  Demands at work, home, and our own desires can cause us to tilt, slip or fall into unbalanced and unhealthy behaviors.  Matthew 6:33 states there is only one way to keep our lives balanced, and that is to seek God and His ways first. But this thought is echoed in numerous passages throughout God’s Word (Ps. 123: 1-2; Prov. 2: 1-7; Is. 55:6; Col. 3:1-2; Phil. 4:18).  The concept here is not much different than unbalanced wheels on a car.  Wheels that are balanced assure you that your vehicle is safe, rides smoothly and you get the best mileage with all that expensive gas you’re pouring into it to make the motor go.  But unbalanced wheels not only wear out faster, they can even cause accidents.  So having your tires checked and rotated on a regular basis is a good idea.  Jesus suggests we check and rotate our “life-tires” too.  He points out in Matthew that when your inner life is not balanced, your outer life will not be balanced either.

            So how about a spiritual check-up this week?  Ask yourself some of the following questions to see if your life is balanced as it should be.  If it is, GREAT!  If it isn't, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to healthier choices for the balance in your life and seek out a Christian friend whom you can trust and ask them to keep you accountable as you fine tune your balance.
            1.  How is my relationship with God?
            2.  Have I been reading my Bible?
            3.  What has God been saying to me as I read His Word?
            4.  Where have I been resisting Him these days?
            5.  What is the state of your perspective and desires?  Tempted?  Dealing with fantasies?  Are you more focused on amusing yourself or serving the Lord?
            6.  What challenges do you see yourself facing in the coming week or month?  In what ways will you meet that challenge?
            7.  What things take priority over spiritual matters in your life?  Why?
            8.  Are there any unresolved conflicts in your circle of relationships right                                   now?  Are you able to reconcile them in a Biblical manner?

            Gordon MacDonald wrote, "If the private world of a person is in order, it will be because they are convinced that the inner world of the spiritual must govern the outer world of activity."  No one knew this principle better than King David.  After a disastrous encounter with Bathsheba, he was confronted by the prophet Nathan and then wrote Psalm 51.  If you should find yourself "unbalanced", follow David's footsteps and then rest on the promise of 1 John 1:9.  No one said the path of a disciple would be easy, but with God's grace, it can be balanced (Phil. 4:13).

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!  That little ditty ran through my head several times during the first full week of March 2011.   Not only did we see record rainfall here in the Northeast, an earthquake in Japan set off a tsunami which destroyed property and beaches in the Northwest.  The rainfall coupled with melting snow caused rivers and creeks to overflow their banks and commuters to detour around the more troublesome areas of flooding.  Thanks to the fact that I had to drive up Route 209 more than once that week, I was able to see the rising waters first hand.  Saturday afternoon found me stopping at the Bushkill Access on the Delaware River to take a rather comical picture of a Stop sign submerged in four feet of water with debris caught on the One-Way sign below it (going in the wrong direction of course!).   There was lots of water, but not much of it was worthy to drink.  And it appears that the first week of June this year is going to give 2011 a run for its money.  The ground in my backyard is so saturated it looks like I might have a pond soon!

            Sometimes I marvel at people who build houses along the coast or next to a river.  They must know about the risks, but the setting is so appealing, it's worth taking them I suppose.  I have to confess I've daydreamed about living near the ocean.  I love the vast horizon, the sound of the waves, and the shells!  There is an appealing place like this in Israel too.  It is mentioned in Psalm 23 verse 2.  The word for this location is usually translated as two in English, "green pastures", but the Hebrew word actually relates to the well-watered and green area at the bottom of a wadi (wah-dee).  I suppose translators knew most of us would not relate to this unique place and word so they used this English “equivalent, but in a way, they’ve done us a disservice by doing so, because Jesus uses this beautiful but dangerous spot to illustrate a very important point.  But first…

            "What's a wadi?" you ask.  Wadis are like gorges, but not as wide.  They were carved out of the limestone rock in the wilderness areas of Israel in the same way the Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  Shepherds who raise their flocks in these areas of Israel must know the layout of a wadi inside and out, because although they are a great water source and provide some nice vegetation for grazing, they are dangerous.  Rain which falls miles away will eventually travel into the wadi which, if there’s a lot of it, can cause flash flooding.  So good shepherds know it is wiser to get your water and leave, rather than make yourself comfortable and stay.

            Jesus had this geographical characteristic in mind in Matthew 7:24-29 (cross reference- Lk. 6:46-49).  Maybe you remember singing this as a child:  "The wise man built his house upon the rock...".  It's not necessarily convenient to build on the top of those rock walls that line the wadi.  It would be far more pleasant to build down in the gorge, next to the water source if you’re planning to stay for a while.   When you build next to the water, you don't have to lug those big water urns up and down the path.  It's easy.  It's comfortable.  But Jesus warns us that building in the sand at the bottom of a wadi is unsafe!  When the rains come down, and they will, your house will wash away.  Likewise, it's tempting for us to "build our lives" in the conveniences of the world.  We think life should be easy, comfortable. The trouble is, putting trust in the comforts of this world, is exactly like building a house in the bottom of a wadi.   When storms come rushing into our little world, its sandy foundation is washed away with the water.

            What should disciples build on?  Jesus says in verse 24 that those who come to Him, hear His words, and act on them have built their life on the rock.  Their foundation is so solid that when the storms come, the house withstands the onslaught.  In other words, if we are letting the Bible (Jesus’ Words) guide us in the way we live and what we believe, when the storms of life come (and they will come), we will be able to weather the storm.  But this is not an easy or convenient way to build.  It is certainly more popular to build on worldly things.  It's easier, more comfortable and advertisers do their best to show how appealing it is.  But building a life this way is unstable.  Today's fads are tomorrow's history lessons.  The latest trends are forgotten tomorrow when the "next big thing" becomes news.  And do those modern conveniences really help when we are slammed with loss, sorrow, turmoil or loneliness?  No.  Why build on the shifting sand of pop culture and the “latest thing”?  Build your life on God's Word so that you will stand firm when storms come your way (Proverbs 3:1-8; Colossians 3:2).  So, what’s your building plan today?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/