Be Still And Know

Matthew 14:29-30 So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. It was about 3am when this event took place. The disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and had been battling with a major storm. Then suddenly a stranger appeared to them walking on the water and they shouted out in terror: “It’s a ghost!” Jesus then revealed that it was him and that they had no need to be afraid. It was typical of Peter that he should be the first to respond and he suggested that Jesus should invite him to come to him. Jesus duly invited him and Peter attempted to walk on the water, but with disastrous results. Within seconds he was crying out to the Lord to save him. In one way Peter’s attempt to walk on the lake was really impressive. Although his faith was clearly not as strong as it needed to be, he did at least make the attempt – which is more than any of the other

Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Finally, at the end of an exhausting day that had seen more than 5,000 people miraculously fed, Jesus had time to be alone with his Father. There’s no doubt that he had planned for this to have happened some hours earlier but now, at last, the time had come. It’s interesting to see how important such times were for Jesus. Because he was the perfect Son of God one might have thought that he didn’t need such times, but clearly these moments of intimacy were crucial for him. If Jesus needed to spend time alone with his Father, clearly we do as well. It’s good to be busy doing God’s work, and enriching to spend time in fellowship with his people, but we all need to have time when we are alone with God. That relationship will only develop if we spend time with him. It’s a principle that is true of all relationships. There is no way in which a relationship can be strong and resilient unl

Matthew 14:17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” [the disciples] answered. Jesus had just told his disciples to feed the vast crowd. They were understandably overwhelmed by the challenge. How on earth were they going to do it? They pointed out the absurdity of the situation. Anyone could see that they couldn’t possibly feed the thousands of hungry people with such meagre resources. The problem with the disciples was they hadn’t counted on Jesus. They looked at the little packed lunch that they had available to them and concluded that the situation was completely hopeless. We all know the end of the story. Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes and there was not only enough food to feed the crowd, but plenty left over. What the disciples had to learn was that however apparently inadequate their resources, they needed to put them into Jesus’ hands for him to bless. I am quite sure that, in later life, they often reflected on that amazing day. The disciples faced massive challenges as the

Matthew 14:15-16 That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” You can’t blame the disciples. They were probably exhausted trying to keep up with Jesus, who always seemed to have energy to minister to people. When they went to Jesus at the end of this busy day, they felt he ought to tell the crowds to go back to their homes. They used the sensible argument that they were in a remote place, it was getting late and so it would be good to encourage the people to go and get some food. But Jesus turned the tables on the disciples. Rather than agreeing with them, he told them to feed the people. They needed to take responsibility for sorting out the situation. When we see situations of need it’s always a relief when we can see someone else who is willing to respond. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the Lo

Matthew 14:13-14 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. The background to this story is the gruesome murder of John the Baptist. Herod Antipas was the ruler of Galilee at the time. He is not to be confused with his father, Herod the Great, who was king at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod Antipas had married his half-brother’s wife and John the Baptist had bravely spoken out against the marriage. This had greatly angered Herod, but he was fearful of taking any action against John because everyone spoke so well of him. One day Herod had a birthday party at which his daughter, Herodias, danced so beautifully that he promised – unwisely - to give her whatever she asked for. Herod’s new wife knew exactly what she wanted and prompted Herodias to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a

Matthew 13:54-55 [Jesus] returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son.” I suspect that we have all known the hurt of being put down by somebody. People’s cruel words often disfigure a person’s life. This may not have been the intention of the person who spoke them, but the words live on and continue to do damage. This is especially true if the words were spoken by parents, siblings or partners. Jesus had to withstand many put downs. In our reading today people were so amazed by his teaching and miracles that they couldn’t believe that he was a local boy. If he had been the son of an important religious leader in Jerusalem it would have made much more sense. But a carpenter’s son from Nazareth sounded ridiculous. They knew the whole family and it just didn’t seem to fit. If you are still living with put-downs, the most important

Matthew 13:52 Then [Jesus] added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.” When I was nine or ten years old, one of the great delights of my life was to visit my grandmother’s house. She lived quite close to our family home and I was allowed to go and see her whenever I liked. Her house was like an Aladdin’s cave for me! It was full of generations of treasures and, whenever I found something that appealed to me, I would take it to my grandmother and almost always she would ask: “Would you like to have it dear?” Many of the things she gave me sparked my interest in history and geography and gave me a much bigger appreciation of life, particularly her postcard collection from before the first world war. I thank God for her generosity. In this parable, Jesus spoke about how teachers of the law had great knowledge of Old Testament teaching. Their knowledge was like a house filled wit

Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” In the ancient world, pearls were prized as highly as gold. Even today the most valuable pearls can be worth millions of pounds. Their beauty has always attracted interest. In Jesus’ time, pearls were mainly found in the Red Sea or Persian Gulf. Pearls were also found in far-off Britain; indeed, that was one of the things that attracted Julius Caesar to these islands. The point of the story is clear. The merchant was always on the lookout for the very best pearls. They all had a charm and a beauty but, like any expert, he could easily spot the best and, when he found it, he was determined to own it. Nothing would get in the way. He gladly sold up everything he owned in order to buy this one precious pearl. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is just the same. It is so precious that anyone who understands how amazing

Matthew 13:31-32 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” This is one of the most famous of Jesus’ parables and the point is clear. Often the kingdom of heaven expresses itself in small and humble ways. It doesn’t attract much interest or attention and is overlooked by most people. But just like a tiny mustard seed that is so small that it can easily be missed, or blown away by the wind, it can grow up into something vast. In the Middle East a mustard seed can grow into a twelve-foot tree that can provide a home for many birds. Jesus was clearly telling us not to look down on things or dismiss them just because they are small. When God is at work, miracles are just around the corner! I have often been a part of small Christian organisations that have looked seriously unimpressive to any obs

Matthew 13:30 “Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.” In order to understand this parable fully, it is helpful to know the kind of weeds Jesus was referring to. They were called bearded darnel which, in the early stages of their growth, look exactly like wheat. As they grow, they start to look very different but, by that time, their roots are so entwined with the roots of the wheat that it is impossible to remove them without destroying the crop as well. As a result, it is necessary to allow the darnel to grow until harvest time, when the separation can then take place. The point of the parable is clear. Jesus was telling his disciples that they were living in a world in which there were good and bad people. But it was even more complicated than that. Some people appeared to be good and turned out to be bad, while others gave every appearance of being bad but turned out t

Matthew 13:23 [Jesus said,] “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” The parable of the sower mixes realism with huge encouragement. It confronts us with the fact that, when the word of God is spoken, there is a wide range of reactions. Some people just don’t want to know. Others are incredibly excited for a short while and then forget all about it. Another group receive the word, start applying it to their lives in a serious way but are then distracted by the pressures and temptations of life. Anyone who has been involved in sharing the good news of Jesus will recognise that all of this is an accurate reflection of life. However, here’s the massive encouragement: when God’s word finds a home in the right soil, it doesn’t merely cause growth to happen but it leads to an enormous harvest. How amazing for a farmer to look at his crop and realise that it is 30,

Matthew 13:20-21 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. Today, farmers sow seed with great precision and very little is wasted, but in Jesus’ time it was a much more haphazard process. Skilled as the farmer might have been, when he scattered his seed with his hand it was bound to land in a variety of places. It landed on the path, in rocky soil or among thorns so only a proportion would find good soil. Jesus used this parable to describe the very different ways that people responded to his message, and we can easily recognise the truth of his words today. The seed that landed on the rocky soil struggled from the outset because it couldn’t put down adequate roots. It grew fast for a while but soon keeled over and died. Jesus said that this was like people who heard the message of the kingdom a

Matthew 12:49-50 [Jesus] pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” We know very little about Jesus’ family. On this occasion we hear that they had come to see him and wanted to speak with him. By this time, it seems that Joseph was dead and so Mary came with Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Jesus used the moment to point out that the family that meant most to him was made up of those who were obedient to his Father’s will. Blood relationships are important - and the Old Testament law made clear the fundamental responsibility that we all have for and to our birth families - but what matters far more is obedience to God’s will. Belonging is essential to our wellbeing. We all need the security of knowing where we belong. Many people in our society have had a disappointing experience of family life. They have felt let down and some have been rejected and even abused. But whether our experi

Matthew 12:36-37 [Jesus said,] “I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Mother Teresa said: “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” How true! I am sure we can all think of kind words that have been said to us over the years. The words might have only taken a few seconds to speak and were probably forgotten by the speaker soon after, but we can still remember the exact words and the effect that they had on us. We clearly need to be incredibly careful with the words that we use, and Jesus emphasises this by asserting that, one day, we will have to give an account for what we say. Unfortunately, Mother Teresa’s wise observation needs to be applied to our unkind words as well. They too will have long echoes. It has been wisely said: “Be careful with your words. Once they are said they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.” Because most of us speak a large num

Matthew 12:35 [Jesus said,] “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” Jesus’ teaching couldn’t be clearer. Our words and actions flow from what’s going on in our hearts. That means we all need to focus our attention on our hearts to ensure that there is a constant supply of goodness to feed through into our everyday lives. Jesus’ teaching to his disciples about the vine and the branches in John 15 makes clear how this happens. It all relies on a continual relationship of abiding in him. Jesus said: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Dipping into Christian faith from time to time is not what is in view here. Merely attending Christian worship services and meetings occasionally won’t give us what we need. To receive the life of Christ we need to be fully part of the vine, open

Matthew 12:31 [Jesus said,] “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.” Some years ago, I went to visit a woman who was absolutely convinced that she had committed the unforgivable sin. She was devastated by this and in a state of great distress. Having listened to her carefully for a while it was clear to me that there was no possibility that she had committed the sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Jesus was describing people who had changed all the labels. They branded good as evil and evil as good. That’s why they referred to Jesus as the prince of demons and suggested that was the reason why he had the ability to cast out demons. Jesus wasn’t describing people who inadvertently say the wrong thing, but rather those who deliberately shape their lives in opposition to him. People who commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit wouldn’t be sad at what they had done. They would be delighted. The woman I

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you…For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” The ‘yoke of the law’ was an expression that the rabbis in Jesus’ day often used. Everyone would have been familiar with the sight of two animals pulling a heavy load, firmly attached to one another by a wooden yoke. Jesus knew that when people were yoked to the requirements of the Jewish law it could be incredibly oppressive. He offered another yoke and his was completely different. It was still a yoke, and therefore very demanding, but it was both easy and light. Those who accepted it could find refreshment and renewal. When two oxen work together in a yoke, they can be immensely powerful and effective, but it is crucial that it fits comfortably. An ill-fitted yoke could cause agony. In these chapters Jesus spelled out the massive demands that are placed on his disciples. It’s a life that is full

Matthew 11:25-26 Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!” I seem to have spent my life surrounded by children. When I was nine years old my mother gave birth to twin girls – much to her surprise! From then on, I have almost always had children around me - whether our own three children, our foster daughter or friends’ children who my wife has been looking after. I thank God for this blessing and dare to think that it has helped me to understand Jesus’ insistence that the only way to enter his kingdom is by being childlike. I don’t believe that Jesus was in any way belittling the blessing and importance of being wise and clever. His point is that wisdom and cleverness by themselves will never lead to spiritual wisdom. Indeed, they can often obstruct the path to the kingdom of God by making a person arrogant and

Matthew 10:38-39 Jesus said, “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” These statements take us to the heart of Jesus’ ministry. Our society assumes that we find life by acquiring more and more things. But Jesus turned that thinking on its head and declared that the way to find life is by giving everything away. This is precisely how he lived. He was constantly giving himself to others and, on the cross, he gave absolutely everything. Here, he spelled out that anyone who wants to follow him must consider that their life is not their own and be ready to lose it completely in order to find the life that he came to bring. Clinging on to life is the surest way of losing it. Crucifixion was the most terrible form of torture and execution. It was carefully designed to ensure that the person being crucified suffered for the longest possible time. Some people hung fr

Matthew 10:29-31 [Jesus said:] “What is the price of two sparrows – one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Jesus had just been spelling out what life was going to be like for his disciples. He made it clear that it was going to be really tough and that they would find themselves in situations of conflict and danger. But he wanted them to step out with confidence because God knew them perfectly and would always protect them. He made the point by referring to sparrows; surely God couldn’t be that bothered with them. But, in fact, Jesus told the disciples, not even a single sparrow could fall to the ground without God knowing all about it. In short, nothing gets past God. He knows the whole story of our lives and so we can head into our future with complete confidence, knowing that God not only knows all about us, bu