REAL NEEDS (28 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 9:35, Matthew 10:8
This content is part of a series.
Real Needs (28 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Too often, the gospel has been couched in terms of eternity with too little respect given to the actual quality and character of Jesus' ministry and teaching. We have focused our attention on issues of eternal punishment and reward without giving sufficient attention to the real-world responsibilities of gospel living. Jesus spent much time devoted to teaching us to live in the fullness of God's Reign in the here and now. He fleshed out for us what it means to actively love one another. He responded to the very real and present needs of the people around him day in and day out. How can we do otherwise?
Show and tell was an essential element of Jesus' ministry. Sometimes he showed first. Sometimes he told first. Regardless, the two went together. He would teach on a topic and display for his disciples and hangers on how that teaching applied to the daily interactions of living in a community. The gospel writers associated teaching with doing in the way they drafted their gospel presentations. They show us time after time how Jesus brought the principles of God's Reign to bear upon earthly interactions. Any sense of God's Reign within some other plane of existence always comes across as a secondary application of Jesus' words.
Jesus was not focused on heaven as a place he was preparing people to discover on some afterlife journey. Rather, he was focused on our experiencing the life of heaven, the realization of God's Reign, in the context of our immediate living. Sure, he taught that living God's Reign here and now would extend beyond our experience and the limitations of this physical world. His focus, however, was that we should learn to live under the guidance of God's Reign right now. If we are not comfortable allowing God to reign in our lives and relationships today, why would we think that would change in eternity?
Teaching and healing, proclaiming good n ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Too often, the gospel has been couched in terms of eternity with too little respect given to the actual quality and character of Jesus' ministry and teaching. We have focused our attention on issues of eternal punishment and reward without giving sufficient attention to the real-world responsibilities of gospel living. Jesus spent much time devoted to teaching us to live in the fullness of God's Reign in the here and now. He fleshed out for us what it means to actively love one another. He responded to the very real and present needs of the people around him day in and day out. How can we do otherwise?
Show and tell was an essential element of Jesus' ministry. Sometimes he showed first. Sometimes he told first. Regardless, the two went together. He would teach on a topic and display for his disciples and hangers on how that teaching applied to the daily interactions of living in a community. The gospel writers associated teaching with doing in the way they drafted their gospel presentations. They show us time after time how Jesus brought the principles of God's Reign to bear upon earthly interactions. Any sense of God's Reign within some other plane of existence always comes across as a secondary application of Jesus' words.
Jesus was not focused on heaven as a place he was preparing people to discover on some afterlife journey. Rather, he was focused on our experiencing the life of heaven, the realization of God's Reign, in the context of our immediate living. Sure, he taught that living God's Reign here and now would extend beyond our experience and the limitations of this physical world. His focus, however, was that we should learn to live under the guidance of God's Reign right now. If we are not comfortable allowing God to reign in our lives and relationships today, why would we think that would change in eternity?
Teaching and healing, proclaiming good n ...
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