When Jesus finished telling the twelve of us what to do, he went out to teach and preach in our cities. At this time John, the one who had baptized Jesus, was in prison. He followed closely what he heard of the works of Jesus and finally sent two of his disciples to Jesus.
"Are you the one we've been expecting?" they said. "Or must we look for another?"
Jesus answered, "Go and tell John again about the things you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk, the sick become well, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor hear the good news. Happy is the person who finds no offense in me."
As they left, Jesus talked about John to the people gathered around him. "What did you go to the wilderness to see anyway? A reed blown in the wind?
"Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in richly soft clothing? No, the man in soft clothes lives in a king's palace.
"So what did you go out there to see? A prophet? Oh yes, and I tell you he is much more than a prophet. This is the one of whom the prophet Malachi wrote, 'See, I will send my messenger before your arrival who will prepare your way before you' (Malachi 3:1).
"Yes, I tell you there is no human greater than John the Baptist, yet in the kingdom of heaven the least are always greater even though the proud and powerful think to rule by force. All the law and prophets until John told of this day. John is the Elijah which was to come. If you can hear and accept this, do so."
Jesus went on to say, "People today are like children playing in the street, complaining to their playmates, 'We did the disco and you wouldn't dance. We did the dirge and you wouldn't mourn.'
"John came fasting and you complained because he didn't fast to your tune. You labeled him possessed. I cam partying and you complain because I don't party to your beat. You label me a glutton, wino, and friend of lowlife. If you were wisdom's children you would recognize wisdom."
Then Jesus' talk began to change. He began to expose and reproach the cities where he had done his most powerful works of healing and freeing for their pride and arrogance.
"You are in big trouble, Chorazin and Bethsaida," he said. "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have come down from their arrogance long ago. In the judgment day, it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
"And you, Capernaum, think you are as high and mighty as heaven. You will be brought down to hell. If the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom it would still be here today. In the judgment day, it will be better for the land of Sodom than for you."
Then Jesus prayed, "I thank you Father, Ruler of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from those who ar smart and calculating and have revealed them to the young and innocent. It seemed good to you, Father, to do it that way, and I agree."
To the crowds he said, "I am the one to whom all things are revealed by the Father. No one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son confides.
"Come to me, all you who live under fear and heavy obligation, and I will give you rest. Take my kingdom for your own and spend time learning of me. I am meek and lowly in heart and that's the secret of my power. If you come to me you will find rest for your souls from the obligation, fear, and shame put upon you by the power of pride and arrogance. My kingdom is safe and my load is freedom"
I noticed the change immediately, and so did Thomas. We'd never seen him condemn anyone. We hadn't thought it in his nature. We exchanged glances but kept our thoughts to ourselves. I for one wanted some of that rest he promised. I indeed had heard the mumbling in the crowd that led up to Jesus' reproaches of the cities, and I wondered what unrest must be brewing.
Matthew, Investigator, 10
Written by Wilma Zalabak, M.Div.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 09:43
Chapter 10 -- There Were Twelve of Us
There were twelve of us disciples by this time. He called us together and gave us power to send away bad spirits and to heal all sickness and disease. Here are the names of all twelve us sent out that day: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and John sons of Zebedee, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and me--Matthew the tax collector, James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot.
Jesus sent us out with the following instructions:
1. Don't go far away, but go instead to those from among your own people who are like lost sheep.
2. As you go, preach, "The kingdom of heaven is here."
3. Heal sick people, cleanse lepers, raise dead people, send away devils. You've received these things freely, now give them freely.
4. Take no money or map, no extra clothes, shoes, or walking sticks, for the worker is worth what he eats.
5. Whatever city or town you enter, ask who is worthy and stay there until you leave that city.
6. When you enter a house, take note and if it is a worthy house, let your peaceful greeting stay there. If it is not a worthy house, let your peaceful greeting return to you.
7. Whoever will not receive you or listen to you, when you leave that house or city, just shake the dust off your feet. Sodom and Gomorrha will do better in the judgment than that city will.
8. I send you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. So be wise as serpents and sincere as doves. Beware, because people will turn you in as criminals and punish you publicly. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness against them.
9. When they turn you in, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; it will be given you on the spot. Actually, it is not you who speaks but God who speaks in you.
10. One brother will turn over another brother to death; a father will turn in a child. Children will turn against their parents for the death penalty. You will be hated by everyone because of me. Whoever endures to the end will be saved.
11. When they persecute you in one city, move to another. You have plenty of cities to keep you busy till the Son of man comes.
12. Rather than the disciple being above his master or the servant above his lord, it is quite enough that they be equal. If others have called the master "Beelzebub," what worse names can they call the disciples or servants?
13. Fear not those who call you names. All cover-ups will be exposed, all secrets discovered. What is heard in the night will be told in the light of day. What is whispered in the ear will be broadcast from the networks.
14. Fear not those who kill only the body and cannot touch the soul. Instead, pay attention to the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Who would pay even a few cents for a couple of sparrows? Yet one of them cannot fall without your Father knowing. As for you--even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. That's why I say Fear not--because you are of more value than many sparrows.
15. So whoever sticks up for me in front of humans I will stick up for before my Father in heaven, but whoever turns away from me in front of humans I will also turn away from before my Father in heaven.
16. Do not think my ideal is peace on earth right now. The results of my work will be not peace but fighting. What I do will set family members apart as different from one another, enemies in a person's own household. Anyone who loves peace in the family more than me does not understand me.
17. Another one who does not understand me is anyone who refuses the instrument of shameful death, the necessary means of following me. Whoever clings to life will lose it, but whoever lets go of life for my sake will find it.
18. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. Whoever recognizes and receives a good person will receive a good person's reward. Whoever in following me fills the smallest physical need for a child or for a new follower of me will not fail to receive a reward.
This teaching session marked several changes in our relationships. From then on: (1) The twelve of us were officially considered to be Jesus' disciples. (2) We worked the crowds when Jesus was teaching and we worked the nearby cities when Jesus was on the move. (3) Thomas and I were paired to work as partners. I was glad to have someone with whome to bounce around ideas and clues, and I discovered in Thomas a deep and quiet reservation as he weighed the evidence. He would pass no judgment and make no commitment as to who this man we followed might be. I respected him then and still do respect his approach to the problem.
Matthew, Investigator, 9
Written by Wilma Zalabak, M.Div.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 09:34
Chapter 9 -- Forgiveness and Belief
Jesus got into a ship, crossed the sea, and came to the city. People brought him on a bed a man sick with paralysis. Jesus saw their faith and said to the sick man, "Son, cheer up, your sins are forgiven."
Certain of the press said to themselves, "This man blasphemes!"
Jesus knew their thoughts. "Why do you think evil thoughts?" he said. "Which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk? But in order to show you that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" (he turned to the sick man), "Get up, take your bed, and go home."
He got up and went home. When the crowds saw it they marveled and praised God for giving such power to humans.
As Jesus passed from that place, he saw me at my tax collection desk. He said to me, "Follow me."
No question--of course, I got up and followed him.
He came to my house to eat and a lot of my acquaintances, considered lowlife and sinners, came to eat with him and his disciples. When the religious right political leaders saw our festivities, they spoke to us. "Why does your master eat with lowlife and sinners?"
But Jesus heard them and said, "The well need no doctor; the sick do. You need to learn about kindness and not so much about your many sacrifices. I came to call to repentance not 'good people' but sinners."
Then some of John's disciples came to Jesus and said, "We fast often and so do the political leaders, but your disciples do not fast. Why?"
Jesus said, "As long as the bride and groom are present, can the wedding party mourn? But the time will come when the groom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
"If you use new cloth to patch an old garment, the patch will pull and soon make the first hole bigger. If you put new wine into old cartons, the cartons will burst, the wine escape, and the cartons be discarded. Instead, put new wine into new cartons to preserve them both."
While Jesus spoke like this, a ruler came and worshiped him. "My daughter is dead," he said. "Come and touch her and she will live."
Jesus got up and went with him, and so did we. On the way a woman sick with bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his clothing, apparently thinking, "if I can only touch his clothing, I will be well."
Jesus looked around, saw, her, and said, "Daughter, be comforted. Your faith has made you well." She was well from that hour on.
After awhle Jeus came to the ruler's house and saw the minstrels and noisemakers. He said, "Clear out, the girl is not dead; she's sleeping."
The people laughed at him as they were leaving. Then Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand, and she got up. Now this was news! And it traveled into all the lnad.
As Jesus was leaving, two blind men followed him crying out, "Son of David, give us your kindness!"
They followed him into a house, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said.
He touched their eyes and said, "Let it be as you believe," and they could see! "Don't tell anyone," Jesus said rather sternly.
But they went out and spread the news in all the country.
Next, someone brought him a dumb man with a devil. When the devil left, the dumb man could speak. The crowd marveled, "This has never been seen in Israel."
But the religous right leaders said, "He sends away devils thorugh the prince of devils."
All through the cities and villages Jesus traveled, teaching, preaching, and healing every disease among the people. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion because they were weak and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, the workers few. So pray that the Lord of the harvest will send in workers."
A large harvest of some sort could be a motive that would stand up in court. I that was the motive for God to come to earth, then I needed to investigagte what was this harvest. Was it money, food, drugs, human organs, or just accolades? Nothing made sense. I decided I would try to discover and tail one of these workers he had mentioned as coming in for the harvest. The I found out I was to be one of them!
Matthew, Investigator, 8
Written by Wilma Zalabak, M.Div.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 09:24
Chapter 8 -- If You Will, You Can . . .
Jesus came down from the mountain still followed by huge crowds. A leper came worshiping him and saying, "Lord, if you will, you can cleanse me."
Jesus reached out and touched him. "I will. Be clean," he said. Immediately the leprosy vanished. Then Jesus said, "Be sure to tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded for healing from leprosy. Your gift will be witness that you are telling the truth."
At Capernaum, a Roman centurion came to him pleading, "Lord, my servant is sick with a paralysis that torments him greatly."
Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."
The centurion said, "Lord I am not important enough for you to make a house call! I know that if you just speak the word my servant will be healed. You see, I understand authority. I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to a servant, Do this, and he does it. I know you can do the same."
At that Jesus marveled, "Say, I've not found such great faith in all Israel. It is true that many will come from distances east and west to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while many who were born to the kingdom will be thrown out."
Jesus said to the centurion, "Go. As you have believed, so be it for you." His servant was healed that same hour.
At Peter's house, Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left. She got up and hostessed the crowd.
In the evening, people brought many who were possessed by devils. By a word, he drove out the spirits and healed all the sick. This was the picture painted by Isaiah the prophet in his words, "He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."
Jesus looked at the crowds and decided to go to the other side of the lake. Then a certain well-known newspaperman said to him, "Master, I would like to follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "There are holes for foxes, nests for birds, but there is no pillow or place for the Son of Man."
Another disciple said, "Lord, Let me wait to follow you until I have buried my father."
Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let those who have no interest in life bury those who will die."
Jesus went into a ship and his disciples followed him. A great storm came up making waves that covered the ship, and Jesus slept. His disciples came and woke him, "Lord, save us. We're going to die!" they said.
Jeus replied, "Why are you afraid? Your faith is small." Then he got up and chided the winds and the waves. Then everything grew very calm.
But the people marveled. "Who is this anyway, that even the winds and waves obey him?"
When they came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, they saw coming out of a nearby graveyard two fierce looking men, possessed by devils, keeping people from passing that way. They called out, "What business do we have with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time of torment?"
A long way off one could see a large herd of pigs rooting for food. So the devils begged him, "If you make us go, let us go into that herd of pigs."
"Go," he said.
They came out of the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran violently down a cliff into the sea and drowned. The keepers of the pigs ran to the city and told everything, what had happened to the pigs and what had happened to the men. So the whole city turned out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their coast land.
This story haunted me. Apparently all nature and all sickness recognized his authority. Apparently the devils believed this man was the Son of God. But how does one arrange with a devil to witness in court? I decided to focus more of my research on motive, asking myself, What motive would cause God or a son of God to leave heaven and come to earth? This case consumed my attention.
Matthew, Investigator, 7
Written by Wilma Zalabak, M.Div.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 09:08
Chapter 7 -- Do Not Judge
"Do not judge. If you do, yo will be judged by the same judgment. Whatever you measure out to others will come to you again. Why would you consider the speck in another person's eye while there is a twig protruding from your own eye? With the stick in your eye, how could you say, Let me take the speck out of your eye: You are a hypocrite if you think to do that. First deal with the stick in your own eye. Then you will see more clearly should you ever have the opportunity to help the other person deal with the speck in his or her eye.
"Do not give holy things to the dogs or pearls to pigs. They may trample them and then turn on you to your harm.
"Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. Everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks has it opened. Is there anyone here who will give a stone when a child asks for bread? Or a snake when the child asks for fish to eat? See, you do know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
"So whatever you want others to do to you, do the same to them. This is the core of the law.
"Go thorugh difficulties. Ease and expansion lead to destruction, as many demonstrate, but difficulties and austerity lead to life, and few walk that road.
"Beware of false persuaders. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. You will know them by their fruits. Does one get grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way a good tree yields good fruit and a corrupt tree yields evil fruit. A good tree cannot yield evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot yield good fruit. Every tree that does not yield good fruit is cut down and burned. Yes, you will know them by their fruits.
"Not everyone who claims my name will be in the kingdom of heaven, but only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven. Many will list the wonderful works they say they have done in my name, and then I will make my disclaimer: I never knew you; leave my presence; your works are evil.
"So whoever hears these sayings of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise builder who built a house on a rock. The rain fell and the floods rose. The winds blew and beat on the house, but it stood beause it was founded on a rock. Everyone who hears these sayings of mine and ignores them is like a foolish builder who built a house on the sand. The rain fell and the floods rose. The winds blew and beat on the house, and the house fell with a great fall."
Well, at the end of these sayings, the people were astonished because he taught them with authority, and that was different from the way the press expalined things.
Indeed, I have been changed by his teaching. I've heard much of this several times in different settings, and now his words seem to follow me wherever I go, whatever I do. I would have liked to be with him every day if I could, but the next week I was required back at the tax collection desk. By that time, it was not difficult to follow Jesus' actions by listening to the buzz of people who had been with him. I've recorded here a sampling of those actions. (coming next)
Matthew
