Wednesday, November 25: Matthew 9- Have I underestimated the need for the miraculous?.

I have read this account many times and my thoughts generally hear it as a call to witness, to send people out with the message of Jesus, to send people to evangelize. I have heard it used as a call to foreign missions and other direct applications.

Today I heard something slightly different…

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (35-38).

The words I bolded above seemed to be highlighted on the page. Surely advancing Jesus’ kingdom is at the heart. Workers are needed to do that (!) but like I learned in the reading yesterday, Jesus is never information only. Jesus’ Good News Ministry is information (proclaiming and teaching) along with concomitant actions, healings, miracles and the like.

Too often I miss this demonstration aspect of kingdom advance… in doing so I diminish the power and message of God.

We serve Jesus who routed the forces of the evil one during his ministry. Jesus’ ministry included information and demonstration, and too often I leave out the latter.

I believe God is asking me to be more bold in my Jesus living. To speak of Him and His teaching and His ability to touch lives and heal, even today.

I need ramped up faith to live like this…

Lord, pour more faith, more unction, more of You into my life and my living for You in my world. Through Jesus and for the glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment