A PRAYER TO START
The life of faith requires an often repeated experience of suffering. Not always tragic, nor overwhelming, though it can be both at times, but rather a loss. Some might even call it a death. Either way, we often suffer the loss of what we think we need, think religion gains us, even what think are our true affections; but in this life of faith such loss always brings with it new life. The seasonal cycle is not always comfortable, albeit fruitful. Perhaps you can thus identify this prayer from Flannery O’Connor. Pray with her, and all of us in this life of faith,
Father, I am too weak to pray for suffering, too weak even to get out prayer for anything much except trifles. I don’t want to be doomed to mediocrity in my feelings for Christ. I want to feel. I want to love. Take me, dear Lord, and set me in the direction I am to go. Amen.
TAKING A LOOK AHEAD
On any journey, whether a hike in the mountains or a trek to the grocery store, it is important to be aware of your surroundings, to be present. It’s also important to know where you are going! To look up, and take a peek at what is ahead.
This coming week our expedition’s path moves us into the region of our affections. Having waded through our relationships with others, we now find ourselves being challenged to consider who has our heart. The challenge will not sound as sappy as the preceding sentence suggests. No, Jesus understands something of our nature, and the nature of religion, that we often fail to observe: that what seek to gain from our relationships reveals what we truly love.
Read Matthew 6:1-34, paying careful attention to verse 48. As you are reading take notice and note of the following:
Who are the characters in the story? Explicitly named and those assumed.
Where does the story take place? Physically, & how is it connected to what proceeds it?
What repeats? Words, characters, actions/events, sayings, descriptions, etc.
What surprised you?
What might have surprised the people Matthew was writing to?
What questions does the story raise so far?
CONNECTING THE DOTS
The bibles we read from often have subheadings describing the content that comes after, though helpful for a quick reference, these descriptors can also keep us from recognizing the congruous nature of the author’s intent across multiple sections. Like here, in Matthew 6, we may assume that Jesus is going down a list of various areas of life and faith he wants to address, pointing out how each is currently being practiced or addressed is with incongruity in God’s kingdom. In my bible, there are five subheadings in this chapter that suggest to me Jesus is talking about five different things: giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, treasures / money, and anxiousness / provision. But, is he?
Part of growing in our faith is learning to discern where these sometimes helpful additions keep us from missing the bigger, and often more transformative, picture. With that in mind, consider the following questions as you go back through Matthew 6:1-34.
What word describing a certain people do you see repeated three times in verses 1-18?
How would you describe the common theme of what these “hypocrites” are looking for from their faith?
Think about the public nature of what the hypocrites sought, it would surely gain them many things: respect, honor, invitations to the upper echelons of society, even provision from those wanting to follow them. How might those things relate to Jesus’ exhortation in verses 19-24?
In what way would you describe the heart of religion, what they longed for or loved, for those Jesus calls “hypocrites”?
How might what they sought impact what everyone else expected religion to be about and do for them?
If their affection was for provision, even abundance of it, what is Jesus encouraging them to do in verses 25-34? What fear is he confronting?
Looking back over the entire chapter, how would summarize Jesus’ emphasis in 2-3 sentences?
A THOUGHT TO PONDER
“Blessings are not bribes that God uses to get us to serve him; they are experiences that people have when God saves them.”
(Eugene Peterson)