September 09th, 2017

This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.
 
This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.
This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.
This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.
This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.
This Sunday there is a Christian education emphasis. And the normal Gospel text for this Sunday still fits quite well with that education emphasis. It is the first part of the fourth discourse in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter 18).


The entire gospel account fits in well with this emphasis. The symbol of this account is the man, and a man is a teacher. Sometimes an angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament and was a teacher about what would soon happen. A couple times he appeared and told a woman she would have a son.


It is interesting that, in the Gospel according to Luke, when the angel appears to Mary, he uses a special greeting, sometimes translated as 'highly favored one'. It's one of the earliest uses of a form of the word 'grace' in the New Testament. After Jesus, the frequency of that word drastically increases. It all started because of Jesus, because of a messenger of the Lord.


I think we treat the five discourses as a lot of commandments. It is normal to do such a thing. And Jesus does say in the so-called 'Great Commission' that (according to the ESV,) we should 'observe everything' that Jesus has 'commanded' us. But there is a better way to understand those final words in the Gospel according to Matthew, and there is a better way to understand the five discourses.


If the five discourses are connected to the first five books of the Old Testament, then they serve as a type of foundation, a type of reference for our situation within the Church.


The church is mentioned within the Gospel according to Matthew--and a whole lot in the epistles. It is a good thing to be reminded why the Church gathers together, what the Church gathers around, and where the Church is headed.


I see a significant amount of connection between this fourth discourse and the book of Numbers, mainly because this is book where the people of Israel have to deal with other nations. This reminds me of Peter's first question that starts off this discourse: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' One might be very tempted to say, 'Someone who is a Jew!' 


But that is not where this gospel account is headed. This discourse is actually headed in much the same direction, and we have had hints of this direction in other parts of the account. In this discourse, what is small is still important. 


Children are small. Temptations are like traps, and some very small traps can be big trouble for even some large animals. Sins against a brother are small. But Jesus treats all those things as big. 


Feeling small is a good start in the Lord's direction.